High Temperature Pyrolysis for Co-Product Generation: Renewable Energy & Biocarbon

CHAR’s High temperature pyrolysis (HTP) process is a continuous autothermal process, where organic materials are heated to over 800°C in a completely oxygen free environment to create two high-value coproducts; Biocarbon and Renewable Energy. The HTP process, a unique combination of high temperature pyrolysis, long residence time, and gas treatment generates a high-quality biocarbon output with high levels of fixed carbon, and a hydrogen-rich syngas that can be applied for renewable energy applications including Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and Green Hydrogen. CHAR’s proprietary HTP process was developed to convert wood/agricultural, digestate/compost, and biosolids feedstocks into high value renewable energy and biocarbon outputs.

CHAR has developed multiple biocarbon products, including: SulfaCHARTM - a biocarbon made from digestate/compost that can be used to supplement activated carbon consumption to reduce H2S and odour for biogas operations, and CleanFyreTM – a biocoal product to supplement coal consumption to help decarbonize smelting processes like steel production. CleanFyreTM has a higher energy value and generates 10x less GHG emissions than anthracite coal. Finally, if the biocarbon generated is applied for traditional biochar/land application, the HTP process generates a product that sequesters larger quantities of carbon, and as a result can generate more carbon credits.

The HTP process is autothermal, it creates its own energy after startup, does not need external heat sources, and generates excess pyrolysis gas that can be used for additional renewable energy applications. The pyrolysis gas is immediately treated to generate a clean syngas that is made up of primarily carbon monoxide and hydrogen. A small quantity of this hydrogen-rich syngas fuels the system, and the balance can be applied to generate renewable energy in many forms; heat, electricity, Green Hydrogen and RNG. CHAR is currently moving forward projects to convert Anaerobic Digestate into Green Hydrogen and Biochar, and waste wood into RNG and CleanFyreTM.

This presentation will review the High Temperature Pyrolysis (HTP) process, the impact of different feedstocks on the outputs, while focusing on waste wood as a feedstock for the HTP process to generate both CleanFyreTM and RNG to help decarbonize and produce commercially viable projects.

Andrew White
CHAR Technologies Ltd., Toronto, Canada