BioChar
What IS BIOCHAR?
Biochar is a very stable, solid form of carbon that can endure in soil for thousands of years, making it an ideal technology for scalable carbon removal
how we make biochar
We use a well-known technique called pyrolysis to carbonize plant material at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. This produces a black pellet which is comprised of up to 90% solid carbon.
Every tonne of biochar produced removes three tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere.
Pyrolysis is the heating of an organic material, such as plants, in the absence of oxygen. Because no oxygen is present the material does not burn but the chemical compounds that make up that plant material thermally decompose into gases and solid carbon.
Raw MAterials
Dowmann accept plant material from a broad range of sources:
Grass cuttings from local authorities & landscapers
Tree trimmings from local authorities & landscapers
Hedgerow trimmings from local authorities & landscapers
Forest residues aka. brash from foresters
Food stalks and residues from food producers
Fallen leaves from local authorities & landscapers
Spent grain from brewers & distillers
Spent whiskey barrels from distillers
Without this process the plant material would have gone through the normal rotting or composting process and released carbon into the atmosphere.
Most of these plant materials are considered a “waste” by their producers e.g. local authorities, landscapers, food producers & brewers/distillers.