A big Maine biochar plant has gotten a $5 million investment that puts it on the road to producing 160 tons (950 cubic yards) a month, reports Mainebiz (full article here). I wrote about the plant back in Feb. 2022.
Biochar, a charcoal-like material, is produced by heating organic matter to an extremely high temperature in a low-oxygen environment. The biochar can then store carbon for thousands of years. By putting biochar back into the earth, the carbon is permanently removed, making biochar one of the most immediate commercially scalable pathways for carbon removal.
The substance has multiple established agricultural applications, and can also be used in hazardous waste remediation, stormwater management and in low-carbon cement, pavement and polymers.
Standard’s plant is co-located at the Pleasant River Sawmill, at 542 Hammett Road in Enfield, where the site offers a reliable supply of clean, high-quality feedstock in the form of mill residuals. Standard will utilize “pins and fines” from the state-of-the-art low-diameter spruce fir mill, creating a new outlet for the low-value byproduct.
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