Overview

Wakefield Biochar operates three biochar production facilities (WB2, WB3 and WB4) across Georgia, located in Brunswick, Fitzgerald and Valdosta, with a fourth one soon to become operational (WB5). These sites transform woody residues into biochar for long-term carbon removal, regenerative agriculture, and industrial applications. Together, they form one of the largest biochar operations in the U.S. and a top supplier on the Puro.earth registry, combining scale with regional circularity and community impact. Since first issuance in 2022, Wakefield has delivered 100% of committed tonnes every year, and featured in the CDR.fyi leaderboard in terms of overall volumes delivered.

Feedstock

Each facility utilizes regionally available, certified woody biomass:

• WB2 in Brunswick: Bark and wood residues from an adjacent cellulose mill.
• WB3 in Fitzgerald: Sawdust from a local pine sawmill. 
• WB4 in Valdosta:  Bark and reject wood chips from an onsite linerboard mill, plus supplementary wood residuals from regional saw and paper mills. 
• Future WB5 Facility:  Hurricane-damaged wood and industrial wood waste (wood chips and shives) from regional paper and sawmills. 

Application

Wakefield biochar is applied across multiple use cases:

• Soil amendment on farms and pasturelands to improve fertility, water retention, and microbial health.
• Compost enhancement,  particularly at the WB4 and WB5 facilities. 
• Animal bedding and soil health products
• Wakefield offers subsidized access to farmers to enable adoption in regions with high agricultural bankruptcy rates.

Co-benefits

• Soil Health: Improved structure, nutrient cycling, and reduced N₂O emissions, particularly on drought-prone pasturelands.
• Water Efficiency: Enhanced drought resilience for farms in Georgia’s warming climate.
• Local Economic Impact: Over 80 green jobs created, especially in disadvantaged areas like Valdosta.
• Waste Valorization: Diverts underutilized woody residues from combustion or disposal.
• Innovation: Wakefield leads in scaling dMRV-integrated biochar production

Additionality

• Environmental additionality: In the absence of these projects, most feedstock would be landfilled, combusted, or used in industrial applications where carbon is re-released.
  
• Financial additionality: Carbon revenues are essential across all sites, covering spreading, hauling, processing, and compliance costs. Soil application is less lucrative than industrial alternatives.
  
• Regulatory additionality: None of Wakefield’s biochar production or end-use activities are required by law at federal, state, or local levels.