Enfield Biochar
Overview
Located in Enfield, Maine, the Enfield Biochar project involves the construction of a biochar pyrolysis pilot facility by Standard Biocarbon Corporation (“Standard Biocarbon”). The project employs carbonization systems engineered and built by PYREG GmbH, a German net-zero technology engineering and manufacturing company. Through the process of pyrolysis, woodchips and sawdust from the nearby Pleasant River Lumber Company mill are converted into premium-quality biochar that meets specifications for the highest value applications. Biochar, short for biological charcoal, is a stable, porous, near-pure form of carbon which remains inert for centuries.
The project is expected to prevent the release of approximately 90,000 tCO2e from entering the atmosphere over 30 years and generate an equivalent number of CO2 removal certificates (“CORCs”). CORCs are issued through the Puro.earth standard, a leading standard for carbon removal projects. Carbon Streaming also has a royalty on the 250,000 cubic yards of biochar that is expected to be produced and sold by the project over its 30-year life.
Impact Highlights
Removing and Storing Carbon
Biochar is created when biomass is heated in the near or total absence of oxygen, a process known as pyrolysis. Using pyrolysis to convert waste biomass into biochar retains most of the carbon present in the biomass, while increasing the permanence of carbon storage. Biochar’s stable structure makes it possible to store carbon for a long period of time (up to centuries). In a recent report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change notes that biochar is important in carbon dioxide removal with several co-benefits to fight climate change.
Advancing Sustainable Development
In addition to its carbon removal and sequestration capabilities, biochar can play an important role in climate change adaptation by increasing the water retention capacity of soil and catch basins, improving resilience to extremes in precipitation and mitigating harmful runoff. Beyond environmental remediation, biochar has multiple other beneficial applications in agriculture and construction materials. The project also has the potential to deliver energy conservation as the heat generated in the pyrolysis process is expected to be used in the nearby mill’s drying kilns. The project is expected to contribute to the local economy by providing employment in nearby communities.
Carbon Credits
The Enfield Biochar project is expected to generate ~3,000 CORCs annually on average over the 30-year project life. A portion of the revenue from the sale of the carbon credits will flow back to Standard Biocarbon (the project partner) and the project.
Key Attributes
Project Type
Removal / Sequestration
Project Category
Biochar
Standard Body
Puro.earth expected
Number of UN SDGs
8 targeted
Initial Credit Issuance
Expected in the second half of 2023
Project Partner
Standard Biocarbon has a mission to lead the creation of a modern North American biochar industry as part of a global climate solution. Standard Biocarbon’s model is to co-locate operations at lumber mills where it will function as an onsite customer for wood residuals while also providing thermal heat for lumber kilns and for drying green chips and fines. Maine has lost markets for over four million tons of low-grade wood, biomass and mill residuals in the past decade, and the need for expanded and diversified markets for sawmill residuals is noted in the Maine Forest Action Plan: 2020. By leveraging the infrastructure of existing paper mills in the northeastern US, this new growth industry addresses an urgent and growing demand for better soil, cleaner water and less CO2 in the air.