August 2023

Global Biochar Industry News

Few Spots Remain for IBI Swiss Study Tour – Switzerland

27–29 September, 2023

Join us for an unforgettable experience on the IBI Study Tour in Switzerland! Hosted in cooperation with Carbon Standards International, you'll explore the world of biochar through sightseeing some of the most innovative and versatile biochar projects.

Learn about the latest industry updates from a variety of international stakeholders on biochar — from its production to implementation and markets. Our goal is to provide you with a deeper understanding of biochar through an immersive program and networking opportunities.

We hope you'll join us for a Global Artisan C-Sink Manager training, taking place after the Study Tour for anyone interested (included in registration).

Registration Prices*

• USD 850: Registration without hotel accommodation

Sign Up for the Interest List: 2023 Annual Symposium

Be the first to know when registration launches!

IBI’s Annual Symposium is coming to you this November! Our three-day collaborative virtual event will focus on global biochar industry opportunities, learnings, and state-of-play. 

The program is designed for biochar producers, technology makers, carbon markets, researchers, and others active in the biochar industry, as well as aligned industries, including equipment makers, waste management, compost, and energy creation.

Request for Proposals: Virtual Event Management

We're seeking a virtual event management consultant or company to provide expert strategy, software, and speaker management for the Annual Symposium.

Learn more about the RFP process and submission guidelines. Proposals will be accepted through 1 September 2023.

IBI sustaining member Airex announced a new plant in Quebec, Canada that will turn forestry waste into biochar. The project will sequester 75,000 tons of carbon per year and generate certified carbon credits. 

IBI business member ARTi announced a new Biochar Production Unit in Ireland. 

Just three months after inaugurating its first Brazilian site, IBI business member NetZero launches the construction of a second biochar factory in Brazil.

The 2023 Farm Bill offers an unprecedented opportunity to implement strategic changes at the US Department of Agriculture. Read the Biochar & The Farm Bill factsheet from US Biochar Coalition to learn about the top priorities and applications for biochar to enable farmers and forest landowners to engage in conservation, adopt climate smart practices, implement climate resilience solutions, and climate proof their livelihoods.

Climate-tech leader Verde Resources Inc. secured biochar-asphalt IPs and formalized a Puro.Earth partnership for engineered carbon removal, setting the stage for infrastructure development projects in the U.S.

Pacific Biochar is working with Seley & Co. to make softwood charcoal (biochar) available in California as an ingredient for animal feed. Learn more in their newsletter. 

Learn more about the call to submit a chapter for a forthcoming book entitled “BIOCHAR ECOTECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT” that will be published by Elsevier Inc. 

IBI is excited to partner with the US Forest Service to share their resources for biochar education! Explore their factsheets (and share them with your own audiences) focusing on Biochar Basics from their Science You Can Use Bulletin and Biochar at a Glance (Black to the Future: Biochar and Forests). 

Air Burners, Inc. partnered with US Forest Service and has introduced CharBoss, the world's first mobile onsite biochar production system. Learn more about how they boosted the environmentally-friendly technology while adding power and speed. 

Airminers Kiloton Fund is now accepting applications for startups interested in the opportunity to sell carbon credits. Apply by 15 September.

The "4per1000" initiative has launched Twin Regions and they’ve put out a call for expressions of interest! They’re in the phase of building the first teams to develop project concepts for implementation that will be presented to potential investors for funding. Those in rural communities are encouraged to participate. Learn more about the project.

Partner Newsletters to Read

featuring opportunities, stories, and upcoming events 

Australia and New Zealand Biochar Industry Group’s (ANZBIG) July newsletter 

US Biochar Initiative’s July newsletter

KlimateNet’s July newsletter

Carbon Business Council’s The Carbon Fix

Sign up for Carbonfuture’s Perspective newsletter

Save the Dates!

28 August | ANZBIG Victorian Forum

Victoria, Australia + Virtual

17–22 September | Bio-Char III: Production, Characterization and Applications - Engineering Conferences International

Tomar, Portugal

17–24 September | Climate Week NYC*

New York, NY, USA 

*Check out a full list of carbon removal events happening at Climate Week NYC – submit the form to add yours to the list. 

18 September | Climate Week NYC Carbon Removal Happy Hour 

New York, NY, USA

27 – 29 September | IBI Study Tour – Switzerland

Hosted in cooperation with Carbon Standards International

19–20 October | ICHAR’s 7th Biochar School  

Turin, Italy – registration opens soon

13–14 November | German Biochar Forum 

Berlin, Germany

24-25 January, 2024 | Bio360 Expo

Nantes, France

New Business Members

Renewing Business Members

New Organization Members

Renewing Organization Members

Plus 15+ new and renewing professional and student members!

What's hotter than your pyrolysis unit? This biochar and carbon removal news!

📊 The most comprehensive CDR.fyi report so far was published, covering the development of the carbon removal market up to midyear 2023! Biochar carbon removal accounted for 91% of delivered carbon credits (though only 5% of purchases).

💰 The Biden-Harris Administration announced $100m to support states, local governments, and public utilities in purchasing products derived from converted carbon emissions. 

🎙️ The MCJ Collective podcast interviewed Antti Vihavainen, the co-founder and CEO of Puro.earth, to discuss carbon credit and offset models and scaling the industry.

🌱 From the soil to the streets, biochar is a climate change solution. The authorities in Basel, Switzerland plan to introduce asphalt containing biochar to surface local roads to reduce their carbon footprint!

🍅 An interdisciplinary team of KIT researchers from the Joseph Gottlieb Kölreuter Institute for Plant Sciences (JKIP) and the Institute for Technical Chemistry used tomato seedlings and found that the origin of the biochar biomass was crucial to symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi existing in the soil.

🐔 WasteX, a climate-tech company operating in the Philippines and Indonesia, implemented biochar that it has produced in a poultry farm in West Java. Collaborating with agritech startup Pitik Digital Indonesia, the project examined how biochar can boost the performance of the poultry industry and help achieve sustainable farming techniques.

🌱 Michael Kaiser and Britt Fossum from the University of Nebraska Lincoln discuss biochar and the university's field-scale biochar trials on the No-Till Farmer Podcast.

🐥 A green technology company, Onnu, has set out its plans to build a number of “hubs” in the Wye Valley, aiming to convert the area’s considerable supply of poultry litter into biochar.

📹 Patrick Rousset, senior researcher at CIRAD, talks about small-scale pyrolysis technologies for biochar production in a video in Bio4Africa’s July newsletter.  

🍷 Domaine Lafage has used biochar to practice regenerative viticulture and “instead of losing 60% of the crop…[they] are seeing maybe a 25-30% reduction…and fresh grapes and bigger berries.”

🚀 Climatebase is now accepting applications to the Fall 2023 cohort of the Climatebase Fellowship: the climate career accelerator for top mission driven professionals. Bringing together a curated cohort of experts and peers, the community-focused interdisciplinary educational experience is designed to help talented professionals accelerate their existing careers in climate or transition into the space. The Fellowship includes a 12-week program and 1 year of membership in the broader Fellowship community. Learn about their six new specialized tracks and apply now for priority consideration.