Biochar is best known for its role in soil. Carbon Gold also supplies plain biochar as a raw material to industrial partners developing products in built-environment, infrastructure, and water sectors. In these applications, Carbon Gold provides the biochar; the partner formulates the end product.
This page describes the industrial application categories where plain biochar from Carbon Gold has been used. Specific partner names are withheld under non-disclosure agreements.
What Is Plain Biochar?
Plain biochar is the stable, carbon-rich, porous material produced by pyrolysing organic biomass in a low-oxygen environment. Without further enrichment, plain biochar can be supplied in bulk to industrial partners as a feedstock for downstream product development.
Application Categories
Plain biochar supplied by Carbon Gold has been used by trade partners in several industrial categories:
Waste water treatment. Biochar’s high internal surface area and chemical structure can act as an adsorbent for certain pollutants, including heavy metals and some organic compounds. Partners have used plain biochar as a filter or adsorbent material in waste-water treatment systems. The performance achieved depends on the partner’s formulation, system design, and operating conditions.
Road building. Plain biochar has been used by partners as a component in asphalt and other road-surface materials. In partner formulations, biochar can contribute to binder performance and material characteristics. Specific outcomes depend on the partner’s mix design and processing.
Bricks and construction materials. Plain biochar has been used as an additive in brick production and other built-environment materials. Partners use biochar as one input among several in their proprietary formulations.
Sub-sea concrete. Plain biochar has been used by partners developing specialist concretes intended for sub-sea and marine applications. Concrete performance and durability outcomes are determined by the partner’s overall mix design.
Carbon Gold’s Role
In these applications, Carbon Gold’s role is consistent: we supply plain biochar to specification. We do not formulate, test, or sell the end products. Performance claims for any finished product rest with the partner that formulates and sells it.
Carbon Gold does not currently publish product-level lifecycle assessments. The information on this page describes plain biochar as a material supplied into industrial partnerships.
Why Plain Biochar Is of Interest to Industrial Partners
Biochar’s appeal as an industrial feedstock comes from a combination of material properties:
- A stable, carbon-rich structure that resists decomposition
- High internal surface area and adsorbent characteristics
- A material made from organic biomass that would otherwise decompose
- Compatibility with a wide range of partner formulations and processes
