UK's CapChar Completes First Commercial Biochar Unit Deployment, Exceeding 100 Tonnes Per Year at Full Capacity

en.Wedoany.com Reported - CapChar, a UK-based biochar technology company, has completed the deployment of its first commercial customer unit at the Carbon350 site near Petersfield in the South Downs National Park. The system had previously undergone pilot operations, and this installation marks the technology's official entry into commercial operation.

The unit will convert locally sourced woody biomass feedstock into carbon-rich biochar. This deployment integrates three technologies: CapChar's batch pyrolysis process for biochar production, a patent-pending thermal battery innovation, and digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) infrastructure. The thermal battery captures and stores heat generated during the pyrolysis process for use when needed; the dMRV system provides a data framework for measuring and recording biochar carbon removal.

This commercial deployment builds on earlier pilot work in Cornwall. CapChar previously collaborated with Tom Previte and Restord to conduct real-world testing of the system there, providing the basis for improvements incorporated into the current version.

As planned, Carbon350 will initially operate the new system at 25% capacity, gradually scaling up over the next 12 months. At full capacity, the project is expected to produce over 100 tonnes of biochar annually, achieving nearly 250 tCO₂e of carbon removal. Heat captured during the pyrolysis process will be used to pre-dry incoming biomass, with surplus heat used to dry logs, kindling, and wood chips.

Catherine Daley, CEO and founder of Carbon350 Solutions, stated that installing the CapChar system near Petersfield is foundational to her company's distributed model. She noted that this is about pioneering a distributed UK biochar carbon removal model encompassing local biomass, local heat, local soil health, and high-integrity carbon credits. Adam Samuel, co-founder of CapChar, said that early collaboration with Tom Previte and Restord in Cornwall helped the company reach this point, and that Carbon350 is enabling the technology to enter commercial operation while demonstrating distributed biochar production in practice.