Making Biochar from Wood & Agricultural Waste

Who Is American Biochar

Sean Ebnet, Executive Director

25 years in biomass related industries. Successfully led numerous acquisitions and developments of greenfield & brownfield site conversions.

Expertise in sourcing, permitting, manufacturing and sales of wood and biomass products, including Refuse Derived Fuels (RDF).

Mike Ferguson, Plant Operations

22 years of experience in owning, operating and managing fertilizer & wood product manufacturing facilities. Expertise in providing design

solutions and operation services to the agricultural and forestry industries and converting biomass waste streams into value added products.

Scott Jacobs, Marketing & Sales

20 years of experience in owning, operating and managing wood pellet facilities. Expertise in sales and marketing of wood based products

and manages customer portfolio and off-take obligations for wood and fertilizer products throughout the US.

Our Customers

Operational Highlights:

• Average sales exceeding 500,000 tons of biomass

and fertilizer products sold annually

• 20+ year relationships with the largest fertilizer

manufactures in the industry

• Operators of the largest organic fertilizer plant in

the US

• OMRI listed products & Organic Crop Production

Certified

• Big Box store consignment relationships

Existing Customers:

What Is Biochar

Biochar is the carbon-rich derivative of biomass (wood or crop residues) made by

heating the biomass under high temperature without oxygen. This pyrolysis process

creates a very porous structure of carbon with high adsorption properties.

Biochar is used as a soil amendment to significantly reduce water consumption

(~20%), support healthy microbial growth, and hold fertilizer nutrients in the soil

longer for cost effective improvement of crop yields.

Biochar can have major advantageous implications for mitigation of climate change

through soil sequestration of carbon and the avoidance or reduction of nitrous oxide

and methane.

Municipal sourced wood waste

made into a quality Biochar

Who Makes It / Who Buys It

Who makes Biochar

Most Biochar sold today is a byproduct of other industrial process where consistency and

availability of product is a problem. Total US annual production <20,000 tons/year.

Who purchases Biochar

What is the market trend

US market for biochar is expected to achieve a CAGR of 23.4% between 2015-2023.*

Global biochar market is expected to reach $5.88 billion due to increasing agricultural

demand and water conservation objectives*

Fertilizer Manufacturers Big Box Store Retailers

Commercial Farms Cosmetics Industry

Golf Courses Municipalities (Water & Sewer treatment)

Landscape Companies Utilities (air emissions filtration)

* Data sourced from Grand View Reaserch Inc. Jan 2016

”Biochar’s ability to improve soil fertility

coupled with high crop yield will serve as

growth opportunities in the near future.”

* -- Our AG January 18 2016

“Agriculture is of relevance to climate change

due to emissions in food production and

emissions through land-use change”

--US Department Agriculture 2015

“Landfill burial of biomass residues accelerates

the depletion of landfill capacity and leads to

much higher emissions of greenhouse gases

compared to [use] of the material in power

plants”

-- US Department of Energy 2016

Recognition of Biochar’s Potential

Making Biochar Is A Progressive Roasting Process

Energy Requirements are different for different end products:

• 320°F = Drying for wood pellet production

• 600°F - 850°F = Torrefaction & Biochar

• 800°F – 1,200°F = Biochar & Activated Carbon

• 1472 – 2500 = Gasification of wood

450°F 460°F 470°F

480°F 490°F 500°F

510°F 520°F 530°F

540°F 550°F 600°F

Stages of Torrefaction

Biochar Production System

Mass Loss vs Energy Loss

FURNACE REACTOR

CYCLONE

FAN

DRY CHIPS

TORREFIED

CHIPS

RECYCLE

HEAT

EXCHANGER

DAMPER

TORRGAS

The technology is energy efficient with all of the energy required to run

the furnace coming from the biomass syngas (post startup).

The Torreactor heats via a heat exchanger and is auto-thermal.

Temperature Affects Different Properties Of Biochar

Insufficient Temp/Time treatment of wood waste for Biochar

Effective Temp/Time treatment of wood waste into Biochar

With Classification

Without Classification

Various Approaches to Torrefaction…

Why we prefer Drum Reactors

• Proven and cost effective mechanism for getting heat into wood chips

• High capacity throughput

• Safe technology, less prone to dust buildup & easy to control in upset conditions

• Ability to classify the material

Multiple Technologies Can Be Used To Make Biochar

• Screw Reactors • Cyclonic Reactors

• Tray Reactors • Microwave Pyrolysis

• Progressive Pile Reactors • Drum Reactors

Chips

Low VelocityHot Gas

Classification allows heavier or larger chips to dwell longer creating a more even heat treatment

EXAMPLE AVG.. DWELL

9-15 Min.

1- 5 Min.

5-9 Min.

Drum

Creating A Consistent Biochar Product Is Critical

The internal drum flightingsystem was designed to create a convection heating environment for the chips. This allows for classification of raw material to ensure a consistent Biochar product.

Internal Torreactor Drum

Technology Can Meet California Emission Standards

• American Biochar has an EOM relationship for the use and application of a proven

Torreactor technology for Biochar production.

• An industrial scale 2Ton/hr Biochar reactor has been successfully operated for the

past several years using wood and agricultural residues as feedstocks.

• The Torreactor operates at a high temperature (~850 degree F) to effectively

incinerate volatile contaminants found in C&D wood (paint, stain, preservatives)

• The size & length of the rotary drum chamber can be adjusted to accommodate

different moisture content and sizing of feedstock.

• The Torreactor roasts off Low-Energy Gas components and uses the syngas

internally as fuel for the furnace to operate primarily as a close system

OEM Expected Emissions Output (lb/hr ave)

PM VOC CO NOx

2 T/hr

Biochar

Torreactor

1 tons/yr 0.25 tons/yr 4 tons/yr 9 tons/yr*

Typical State

(site specific)

limits

4 tons/yr 4 tons/yr 29/tons/yr 4 tons/yr

*= EOM would propose different burner systems to reduce NOx levels

Recognition of Biochar’s Potential

Target Feedstocks For Biochar Production

Sources of Feedstock:

• Construction & Demolition Wood (cleaned and screened urban wood waste)

• Land Clearing Debris & Green Waste (tree trimings, brush removal, field grinding)

• Orchard Removals (crop removals, pruning's, storm wood)

• Forestry Residuals (bark, thinnings, tops and limbs)

California Needs Scalable Solutions For Wood Waste

Closure of Waste-To-Energy (WTE) plants is creating a problem for wood disposal:

• Municipalities need solutions for the proliferation of urban woodwaste. WTE facilities are closing and CA Utilities are focused on

meeting their Renewable Portfolio Standards through procurement of cheaper solar & wind energy resources over biomass.

• Agricultural wood is a growing dilemma as air quality concerns have forced orchard growers to curtail pile and burn techniques. Senate

Bill 705 (2003) mandates curtailment of pile/burn. Assembly Bill 32 requires CA to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels.

Far Reaching Potential Benefits

CA agriculture is a $40 billion-a-year industry

Water rationing is here to stay

Federal water allocations cut 40% in past few years

Some counties have seen 10x increases in water rates

Many farms are being forced to follow fields

Deep wells are susceptible to higher alkaline

concentrations

“Carbon sequestration in soil

and the reduction of GHG

emissions from agricultural

operations are desired

benefits of biochar use.”

“Biochar increases the soils

caution exchange capacity to

improve nutrient use and

fertility”

“There is demand for the

finished Biochar product, but

to go out and buy it is

currently an expensive

proposition.”

--Wine Business Monthly

April 2016

Contact Information

To learn more about how American Biochar can assist you please contact:

Sean M. Ebnet (760) 616-1600