Decarbonising the atmosphere by pyrolysis of biomass

The idea of sequestering atmospheric carbon in the form of charcoal produced from biomass is well established, but to make a significant difference, the technology would have to be deployed rapidly and on a massive scale.

Is this feasible?

The answer is, just possibly, Yes.

This project plan is to:

• Show that a pyrolysis plant can be built using accessible technology, with readily available materials and at sufficiently low cost in countries at any state of development.
• Establish that such plants would be sufficiently profitable and that there is enough biomass from existing agricultural practice.
• Develop a range designs for different situations and make them freely available.

The process gives three products: charcoal and bio-oil which can be sold on world markets and syngas. Some of the syngas will be needed for the heating the process itself, but any excess could be used to generate electricity for sale locally

A look at the data for the supply of harvested material shows that there is only enough to supply a limited amount of hydrocarbon fuel for the most demanding uses, particularly if some is used to make petrochemicals.

Charcoal is potentially a form of renewable energy that is an alternative to wind and solar energy. The big difference is that it can be stored and transported easily and safely