Building the Future from the Ground Up
Hansjörg Lerchenmüller
Speaker Title
EBI Board Chair
Organization
EBI European Biochar Industry
Abstract

European Biochar Industry Consortium (EBI)

Scaling Biochar Carbon Removal to Climate Relevance
State of the European Biochar Industry BCR’s role in Net Zero pathways

EBI, the voice for Biochar Carbon Removal in Europe
Activities to support the biochar industry

See their recently released EBI market report.

European Biochar Market Report 2022/2023

Authors and key contributors
Hansjörg Lerchenmüller (EBI) – Lead Author
Harald Bier (EBI)
Lea Hettich (EBI)
Mattias Gustafsson (Ecotopic)
The Nordic Biochar Network
The Equipment Manufactures and Plant Operators for Biochar production
EBI Policy Working Group
And many other EBI Memb


Summary on state of the industry and market trends
• The biochar industry is very dynamic and about to become a mature industry
– around 30 industry equipment manufacturers active in Europe
– ~10 of them at TRL8 or even TRL9
• Biomass feedstock
– the dominating feedstock is still wood chips from forestry residues and landscaping
– agricultural residues are clearly on the rise
• Certification is key
– most of the biochar in Europe is sold under the EBC certificate for the “physical biochar”
– EBC and Puro are the dominating certification standards of Carbon Removal
– there is a strong market demand for MRV with Carbonfuture dominating the space
• The market for biochar applications has three pillars
– agriculture is a stable and growing basis for sales
– urban applications show high growth rates
– application in concrete is on the rise and many companies see the greatest potential her
• Revenues from sale of Energy and Carbon Credits are key to economics of biochar projects


Description
Hansjörg Lerchenmüller is a serial start-up entrepreneur, manager and business angel who has co-founded several start-ups in the field of renewable energies, emission reduction and climate protection.

Hansjörg has a technical background as a physicist. After 10 years with the Fraunhofer-Institute for Solar Energy Systems, he became founder and CEO of a company for highly efficient photovoltaic modules and his company set up production facilities in Germany (Freiburg) in and in the US (San Diego). For his solar activities he was awarded the prestigious German Environmental Prize.


Since 2017 he has been focusing on biochar and negative emissions. He is co-initiator and chairman of the European Biochar Industry Consortium (EBI). He is also investor and chairman of the supervisory board of Carbuna AG (a German based manufacturer of biochar-based products) and he is co-founder and investor in the leading MRV provider Carbonfuture GmbH.

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