Description

Carbon Cycle is a privately-owned company based in south-eastern Germany that specializes in the production of high-quality biochar, which offers solutions to modern agriculture problems such as nutrient loss, nitrate leaching, and soil fertility issues. Biochar is a sustainable product that has many benefits, including the reduction of fertilizer usage, protection of groundwater, and improvement of soil fertility. The production of one ton of high-quality biochar results in 3.1 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide becoming firmly bound for centuries, enabling farmers to make an important contribution to climate and environmental protection. Carbon Cycle sells its biochar to the farming industry in several EU countries and holds the European certificate of sustainably produced biochar (EBC).

The company uses untreated wood chips from energy grade wood,  locally sourced from PEFC certified forests as feedstock for the biochar. Each tonne of biochar sequesters 3.1 tonnes of CO2, and the carbon content's stability as measured by the H/C ratio is very high.

Carbon Cycle has been issued with CORC's by the Puro marketplace in accordance with the strict Puro methodology for biochar production. All lifecycle emissions are considered, and the facility and certifications have been third-party verified ex-post. 

Application

• Animal feed
• Animal litter
• Soil improvement
  
  

Co-benefits

The produced biochar is deployed, either directly, or indirectly for soil improvement. It greatly increases water and nutrient retention in soil. Biochar also reduces the need for artificial fertilizers, which are typically energy-intensive to produce.

The use of biochar as an animal feed additive has well-documented health benefits and reduces methane emissions.

Emissions avoidance

By capturing waste forest biomass of low economic value from sustainably managed forests and stabilizing the carbon through pyrolysis, biochar safely captures CO₂ that would otherwise be released back to the atmosphere if the biomass had been left to decompose or was combusted.

Additionality

The revenue gained by carbon removal suppliers speeds their growth, compounding the climate effect, and accelerating the carbon net-negative economy. Carbon cycle started production of biochar in 2019 with a highly efficient e-flox design production system. In 2023 Carbon Cycle will commission a new, larger production system. The revenue from carbon removal certificates is an essential part of the business case for further investment.