World class biochar production facilities made in Finland
Remove CO2 by converting waste biomass into energy
Industry-level biochar production technology
Suitable for biogas, pyrolysis oil, and clean energy production
Clean
Biomass is carbonized in 600 degrees celsius, pyrolysis gas combusted at 1000 degrees celsius with minimal emissions.
Efficient
Excess energy from the plant can be used for heating, steam or other purposes.
Adjustable
High-precision process optimization capabilities enable the use of various feed stocks. Controlled pyrolysis process enables efficient biochar production.
Unique, state-of-art, turnkey solution for biochar and energy co-production.
Carbofex Hiedanranta demo plant
No.1 facility in Europe
Our demo plant in Hiedanranta has been in operation since 2017. This specific unit carbonizes up to 500 kg of wood chips per hour, turning it into 140 kg of biochar.
With an optional electrostatic oil separator, the system can produce 100 liters of high-quality pyrolysis oil.
The facility can produce 700 tons of biochar and 600 tons of oil per year.
Hiedanranta runs a 1 MW district heating plant as part of a municipal heating network.
Due to high demand and lack of competitive industry level facilities, Europes largest pyrolysis plants production sells out for over a year in advance.
With an optional electrostatic oil separator, the system can produce 100 liters of high-quality pyrolysis oil.
The facility can produce 700 tons of biochar and 600 tons of oil per year.
Hiedanranta runs a 1 MW district heating plant as part of a municipal heating network.
Due to high demand and lack of competitive industry level facilities, Europes largest pyrolysis plants production sells out for over a year in advance.
Input
• 3500 t biomass
Suitable raw materials
• olive pits, olive cake
• nut hull / husk
• straw pellet
• waste wood chip and pellet
• coconut shell
• date pits, palm kernels
Gas and Oil can be used for
• Heat
• Steam
• Cooling
• Desalination
Optional auxiliary systems
• Oil recovery ESP
• Wood vinegar recovery
• Hot water Boiler (district heat)
• Steam production
• Flue gas heat recovery
• Biochar enhancement system
• Feed stock dryer
• Greenhouse CO2 enrichment
Feedstock spec
• < 20% fines
• Max size < 80 mm
• Max thickness < 10 mm
• Density > 180 kg/m3
• Optimal moisture content 15 - 20 %
• Max moisture content 40 %
• Processing temperature 500 - 700 C
• Residence time 5 - 10 min*
* Using soft wood chip feed stock
Output
• 1000 t of biochar
• 5000 MWh of clean energy
• 3000 t of CO2 removals
The real black gold
Biochar turns carbon from potential climate disaster into an environmental solution and profit.
Pyrolysis technology turns existing biomass into valuable products of revolutionary biochar, oil, and gas.
There are multiple productive and environmental uses for production. These include fertile soil for plants and the filtration of harmful chemicals.
The facility produces more energy than it consumes. Extra renewable energy can be used for heating, cooling, or desalination.
There are multiple productive and environmental uses for production. These include fertile soil for plants and the filtration of harmful chemicals.
The facility produces more energy than it consumes. Extra renewable energy can be used for heating, cooling, or desalination.
Biochar
286 tons
572,000 €
Clean energy
1,428 MWh
171,360 €
Economics of biochar
CO2 removals (CO2 eq)
857 tons
52,962.6 €
Feedstock:
Wood chip (spruce)
To calculate the different values for outputs we've used calorific value of 19.29 MJ/kg and carbon content of 0.5kg per kilogram of Norway spruce (picea abies).
Amount
1,000 tons
Global impact
Our unique, proven technology uses pyrolysis to convert short-cycle carbon stored in biomass as CO2 into mineralized long-cycle carbon in the form of biochar. Biochar has many studied uses for positive impacts for environment and society.
Each kilogram of biochar produced binds around 3.5 kg of CO2 to the soil – permanently.
The biorefinery's energy can distill seawater, generating 250,000 liters of fresh water per day.
When used for filtration, biochar permanently binds toxins like mercury and phosphorus.
Amount of CO2 captured since 2017
kilograms
Equals the carbon footprint of
average global citizens
Carbon removal is certified by:
Biochar in action
Convert unutilized biomass and organic waste into valuable biochar with pyrolysis technology. The process removes CO2 from atmospheric circulation and generates clean energy, among several other benefits.
100% of Stockholm´s parks grow on fertile and clean biochar soil.
6,500 tonnes of organic waste becomes a growing ground for plants in the Swedish capital. The project will deliver revenue on the city's investment in eight years, estimated at approximately 850,000 EUR.
94 % clean carbon used in semiconductor, battery, and environmental filtering technology.
Replacing fossil materials and bringing essential solutions to developing nations and industries, there are over 50 practical uses for biochar.
Europes largest pyrolysis plant - sells out production for over a year in advance.
80 % of the product is exported overseas. The rapidly growing market of biochar products is estimated to reach a total value of over $3 billion by 2025.
Global loss of fertile land to be replaced with biochar
tonnes
Number of scientific studies to support the use of biochar since 2007
studies
The estimated value of the biochar market in 2025
dollars
Go back
Biomass
Carbofex's biorefinery technology makes use of a wide range of biomass, carbonizing it to create compliant biochar.
Carbofex biorefinery
The Carbofex biorefinery utilizes almost all of the input organic raw materials, converting around half of it into biochar and the rest into gas, oil, and other distillates.
Biochar for soil fertility
Carbon is an integral part of fertile soil. Porous, cellular biochar improves the soil's water retention capacity as well as promoting the health of plants and helping them grow better by storing and releasing nutrients.
Biochar as a filter
When used for filtration, biochar traps particles around it and permanently binds waste materials and toxins including mercury. Biochar also traps phosphorus, cleaning the air, water, and soil.
Excess renewable energy
Our biorefinery uses biomass as both its raw material and its fuel. As the plant produces more energy than it needs to run, excess energy can be used for other processes. Energy is output as pyrolysis gas and stored bio-oil, which can be utilized for district heating and other applications.
Desalination
The biorefinery's energy can be used to distill seawater, generating 250,000 liters of fresh water per day. The water and biochar produced can be used for food production and reforestation, for example in harsh desert conditions.
District heating and cooling
Europe's largest continuous pyrolysis plant was launched by Carbofex in the summer of 2017 and it is now in commercial operation. CO2-negative district heating production began in November 2018.
Carbofex participates in the $100M XPRIZE Carbon Removal
We have been invited and have officially registered for the XPRIZE Carbon Removal Competition and are eager to start our journey of achieving a scale of gigatons CO2 removal per year.
Officially launched on Earth Day 2021, XPRIZE Carbon Removal is a four-year global competition, aimed at tackling climate change by asking global innovators to develop solutions that can pull carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere or oceans and lock it away permanently in an environmentally benign method.
Learn more about XPRIZE Carbon Removal
Carbofex network
Don´t just take our word for it
We work closely with many organizations that evaluate and certify our facilities, products, and impact.
European biochar certification body
International biochar certification body
Ecobio carried out a Life Cycle Assessment for Carbofex, using a standard by Det Norske Veritas.
Carbofex team
When other kids still played with toys, we played with biomass, made char, and developed the foundations of what Carbofex is today - the real clean carbon maker.
Kim Lehiö
Kim Lehiö
sales & marketing
Pyrolysis product sales & biochar marketing and comms, customer relations
Sampo Tukiainen
Sampo Tukiainen
CEO and co-founder
Experienced bioeconomy entrepreneur: Sales and R&D, BDev, IPR and funding
Veikko Kantero
Veikko Kantero
Chairman and co-founder
Experienced entrepreneur: Financial planning and strategy (50% FTE)
Janne Kantero
Janne Kantero
CFO
Financial management (50% FTE)
Mauri Ranta
Mauri Ranta
Automation & systems design and commissioning: (contractor, ex-employee) 12+ international projects with Sampo
Our work towards
Shared global targets
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals set out targets for improving the sustainability of our planet and the health and well-being of its inhabitants.
Carbofex helps to work towards the achievement of these goals by improving soil fertility, desalinating water, producing renewable energy, reducing atmospheric CO2, and combating desertification and deforestation.
Carbofex Ltd. // Tehdaskartanonkatu 25, Tampere, Finland
Carbofex's pyrolysis technology processes local waste biomass from urban or agricultural sources in to biochar, which can be used to elevate the water retention ability of soil and reduce the need for fertiliser to grow food.
Carbofex's biochar plant produces pyrolysis gas and oil, which can provide energy for a desalination system that produces water for irrigation and for humans and cattle to drink. Biochar acts like activated charcoal and can be used to filter nutrients from run-off waters, preventing harmful algae growth in water systems. The nutrient-rich biochar filtering material can be then used to enhance agricultural soils for growing food.
Aside from biochar, the pyrolysis process also produces renewable energy from local waste biomass in the form of gas and oil. This energy can be used as a fuel for systems that provide heat, steam, cooling, drying, or desalination, among other things.
Pyrolysis is a negative-emission technology recognised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The pyrolysis process refines the feedstock biomass, leaving a mineralized, highly carbonous material that doesn't compost or release carbon back into the atmosphere. This means that pyrolysis captures CO2 from biomass and stores it in the soil.
Biochar can be used to combat desertification and deforestation by enhancing the productivity of poor soils, potentially even harnessing disused desert areas for food production. This can form part of a holistic waste management process by using waste biomass and invasive species as a feedstock.
Invest in real black gold and
Start building your future with biochar today!
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Contact
info@carbofex.fi
+358 50 547 8983
Tehdaskartanonkatu 25, Tampere, Finland