ARTi Technology In Climate Intervention Roadmap for Biochar-based CO2 Removal
Paul S. Anderson, Ph.D., the President of Woodgas Pyrolytics, Inc., has authored a white paper titled “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar” (link). The paper aims to establish “Goals for Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)” and emphasizes the need for carbon removal technologies to combat climate change. Biochar is identified as the most feasible and scalable option among the available technologies. However, not all biochar production systems possess the necessary technological and economic capabilities. Fortunately, ARTi is cited in the paper as one such company that possesses the required capabilities and more, as detailed on pages 18-19 of the paper.
Paul S. Anderson, Ph.D
Paul, a retired university professor, is well known in the biochar and biomass stove industries. He graduated from Australian National University, University of California, Berkeley, and Augustana College. He spent twenty of his adult years living abroad, including time spent as a Fulbright Professor in Brazil and Mozambique. Woodgas Pyrolytics has thousands of low-cost biomass gasifiers and small-scale biochar reactors in operation all over the world.
Getting Woodgas Pyrolytics technology (link) into so many hands has been a tremendous success. Now Paul would like to turn his attention to supporting biochar as a major instrument in the climate change challenge. Paul writes:
“In order to help accomplish the now-imperative removal of CO2 with long-term storage, major entities have committed to stimulate projects that can accomplish the goal of 1,000+ tonnes of CO2 removal (CDR) per year by 2025. The CDR technology called Biochar is the only one (of seven) that is already accomplishing that goal.”
Paul S. Anderson writes with urgency and sincerity on the severity of the climate change problem, which is a problem of the excess of CO2 in our atmosphere. This tone will be familiar to those of us that have been involved in the journey to find solutions to climate change. The difference being that the confidence in biochar as a serious solution for carbon removal has increased and is only projected to get larger.
Paul’s paper highlights six different biochar production companies, technologies, or approaches, among which ARTi’s technology stands out as a viable solution.
ARTi’s pyrolysis units are modular and can be housed in shipping containers, allowing for ease of transportation and deployment. With a production capacity of 2 tons of biochar per day per pyrolysis train in optimal conditions which varies due to feedstock properties and operating circumstances. ARTi technology meets the scaling requirements outlined in the paper. Furthermore, the technology exceeds the paper’s stated goal of achieving 1,000+ t CDR/yr, which translates to a minimum of 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide removal annually.
ARTi Pyrolysis Unit with Supersacks
Paul’s paper, “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar,” features an intriguing section that highlights biochar’s co-benefits within a larger context. The concept of Syntropy with Biochar is introduced, which refers to the gains that can be achieved through the inclusion of biochar in a system. In contrast, Entropy typically pertains to disorders and losses in a system, particularly in terms of energy. Syntropic agriculture is an example of how the inclusion of biochar can improve soil quality and promote order within a system. Through pyrolysis, biomass can be transformed into wood gas and biochar, providing additional value to the process. Biochar has long been known to offer numerous co-benefits, including soil remediation, improved microbial life, and water retention, among others. With its ability to remove carbon at the necessary scale while also providing these additional benefits, biochar represents a promising solution for mitigating the effects of climate change, as noted in the paper’s discussion of ARTi’s technology.
ARTi’s Biochar technology part of the roadmap
