Pacific Biochar partners with companies that operate biomass-fueled boilers to collect and purchase the biochar they produce in the form of unburned ash fines, which have been thermally transformed into biochar when subjected to very high temperatures in the boiler.
In normal operations of the biomass boiler, the unburned fines are repeatedly fed back into the boiler’s firebox and used to fuel the facility’s industrial processes. In this project, Pacific Biochar worked with the Humboldt Sawmill Company located in Ukiah, California, to modify their biomass boiler so that the stream of biochar byproduct is collected rather than reinjected.
The biochar product is then distributed to local farmers in California, who apply it to their fields to promote the health and productivity of agricultural soils. One special feature of this project is that the biochar produced has an H:C ratio of 0.5, providing high-durability storage for nearly 500 years.