Oregon Biochar Solutions (OBS) is a subsidiary of Biomass One, a 30 MW biomass power plant in White City, Oregon, that produces biochar and electric power.
Q You are early in your career. How did you choose biochar as your focus?
A I had originally planned to get a degree in business, but I had a great professor in college who encouraged me to pursue environmental science, and I found that I really enjoyed it. After graduating with a degree in environmental science and communications, I worked for Solar City in New York selling solar panels. We saturated the market, covering 15% of the available roof space, so it was time to take on another challenge. A family member recommended Oregon Biochar Solutions. I could quickly see that, unlike solar, there was no real market yet for biochar, so it was risky, but I like a challenge.
Q What are you doing to develop markets for biochar?
A Currently, I'm looking at biochar as a substitute for products that already have a market, such as activated carbon for water filtration, or various soil conditioners used in growing media. We can make granular and powdered biochar that work as well as or better than other materials in these applications and compete on price. We can produce 3500-4000 tons of biochar year, so we are looking at bulk commodity markets.
Q What about carbon markets? Do you see any potential there?
A We are in the process of getting our biochar listed on the Puro Earth carbon removal trading platform. It’s a complicated process and we are very happy to be getting help from GECA Environnement in Canada. There are lots of details to address and they specialize in this.
Q How does Biomass One balance the power output of the plant with biochar production? Is there a significant tradeoff? And does the company make most of its income as a power plant or as a biochar production plant?
A Producing biochar with our plant has no impact on the power output of the plant. It requires a very slight increase in the amount of biomass fuel we use. The largest share of our revenue comes from electricity sales, followed by tipping fees for our greenwaste drop-off service. Biochar and our soil blending yard make up the last piece of the revenue stream. But even though we make money selling electricity, it makes more sense to think of Biomass One as a wood waste recycling plant that recovers value from waste in the form of electricity and biochar.
Q What is one change to existing business conditions that would help significantly grow biochar markets?
A To really move biochar to where it needs to go, we need incentives to help farmers repair the land and rebuild their soil. We are experiencing extreme land degradation and losing topsoil. Environmental science tells us we need to help farmers implement regenerative practices, including biochar. A federal-scale incentive will be required to make this happen. Above all, it’s a matter of food security now and for the future.
Visit chardirect.com to purchase Oregon Biochar Solutions' bulk biochar or to order a sample.