In the coming weeks, investors will get access to an international biochar market estimated to reach US$3.1b by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 13.2%.
The exciting new venture intends to become Australia’s biggest biochar producer, servicing a large commercial and industrial market.
Biochar is a stable form of carbon obtained from sustainable sources such as biomass and is the only actual carbon capture and storage system available in the world today.
The process to produce biochar is known as pyrolysis, an ancient method currently used today to produce emissions-free hydrogen.
Incredible impact on environment and climate
This charcoal-like substance is becoming increasingly popular because it turns biomass waste streams into revenue whilst having an incredible impact on the environment and climate.
Currently, it has market demand across various sectors including livestock (feed), agriculture (fertiliser), construction (cement), and animal bedding — and is sold for upwards of US$800 per ton.
Industry experts view it as an effective regenerative agriculture strategy because it restores soil carbon that has been lost due to previous farming practices and speeds up the process of the carbon stored in the soil faster than any other method.
According to a NSW Department of Primary Industries trial, the state’s corn experienced yield growth from 13 to 35t/ha by utilising the material.
Endless amount of benefits
Biochar can significantly reduce the need for fertiliser, creating a large opportunity to fill the vacuum in an agriculture market that is seeing product shortages and subsequent price increases.
As a feed additive, the material reduces the need for antibiotics, while also increasing the overall health and yield of livestock.
The production of biochar removes carbon from the atmosphere opening up the opportunity for lucrative carbon credits, which can generate millions of dollars in revenue per year.
And it can also be used in biochar-graphene composites, which has been touted as the strongest material known to exist, 200 times stronger than steel, lighter than paper, and with extraordinary mechanical and electrical properties.
Recent studies have demonstrated that biochar-based materials show great application potential in energy storage and conversion because of their easily tuned surface chemistry and porosity.