ABchar is developing a new type of pyrolysis reactor, affordable heating and the possibility of small-scale biochar production, adapted to agriculture.. This will help achieve the goal of a 40% reduction in emissions from the agricultural sector.
What is pyrolysis?
Simply put, this is the heating of an organic material without access to oxygen. This leads to a series of reactions that ultimately result in 3 main products; biochar, oil and gas.
We want to utilize the biochar in this process. The oil and gas will be burned and the heat from this will be used to dry grain, heat barns, greenhouses, residential buildings and other things that need heat on a farm.
Why pyrolysis and biochar?
Plants absorb CO2 from the air around us through photosynthesis. They are actually extremely good at this too. The residual product is mainly oxygen and the plant material.
The great thing about pyrolysis is that we are able to separate water, oxygen and hydrogen from the plant material and we are left with more or less pure carbon 80% +. This is carbon from the air! If we take this coal and spread it on our agricultural land, it will be stored there for up to 1000 years and perhaps longer. In some cases, the soil will become more fertile and less vulnerable to periods of too much or too little water.