A powerful carbon sink

Plants naturally capture the carbon present in the atmosphere during the process of photosynthesis. At the end of their life, plants slowly decompose, and the captured carbon is returned to the atmosphere in the natural carbon cycle, called biogenic carbon. The carbonization process stabilizes the carbon and prevents it from decomposing and returning to the atmosphere. Buried in the soil, the carbon contained in biochar will remain stored for several hundred years with very little degradation. Thus, one ton of biochar can sequester between 2.5 and 3.2 tons of CO2 equivalent. The development of the voluntary carbon market now allows for the monetization of carbon sequestration credits generated by the production of biochar. Companies committed to net-zero emissions can purchase these credits to offset their own emissions and more quickly achieve their corporate goals.

The development of biochar-based concrete reduces the carbon footprint of the cement industry, which represents more than 7% of global GHG emissions. Biochar can be used in admixtures to replace a portion of the cement in the production of concrete, while improving the mechanical properties of traditional concrete. Carbon is then stored sustainably in the concrete during the lifetime of the civil engineering work or building.

Biochar can replace non-durable materials such as binders and fillers used in the manufacture of building materials, while acting as a powerful carbon sink. It can be used, for example, in the production of drywall or bricks, or in thermoplastic composites. It can also be used directly in asphalt to improve performance under high-temperature conditions.