Carbon is one of the most important building blocks of life. It serves as the basis of all natural materials and forms numerous bonds. When forests die, e. g., CO2 enters the atmosphere and is bound by plants or rivers somewhere else. As a result, carbon is simply everywhere. And there’s now more of it in the air than the natural cycle is able to neutralize. Carbo-FORCE GmbH has a strategy to counteract this: This startup from the northern German town of Preetz has developed groundbreaking plant for the carbonization of biomass. On 1st January 2023, BAUER Resources GmbH, Schrobenhausen/Germany, acquired 50 % of the company’s shares (Figure 1).
But how does this innovative plant work? The technology is based on the traditional principle of carbonization. This is none other than pyrolysis, in which the biomass, from (scrap) wood and horse manure all the way to fermentation residues or sewage sludge, is heated to very high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. As a result, a large share of the carbon is bound and not entirely emitted into the atmosphere as it would be with incineration. The end product is biochar, which has a variety of possible uses: in agriculture for soil improvement, in livestock farming as feed charcoal, as an insulating material or as activated carbon filter. “Depending on the initial material, 1 t of biochar can bind more than 3 t of CO2,” explains Kai Alberding, Managing Director and founder of Carbo-FORCE. In this way, the equipment actively produces carbon credits as well as exhaust heat. Hardly any energy is required during operation, just at the start of the combustion process. “Far more energy is generated than consumed – the plant is almost self-sufficient,” summarizes Alberding. Due to their modular design in the form of containers, these durable plant can be individually adapted and positioned in a decentralized manner.
“For a long time now, Bauer Resources has stood for simple technologies combined with decentralized solutions. This is why the groundbreaking carbonization plants from Carbo-FORCE are an ideal addition to our portfolio,” underscores Roman Breuer, Managing Director of BAUER Resources, and adds: “At the same time, we are reinforcing the expansion of our energy division with this step.” For Carbo-FORCE, the collaboration offers considerable added value in other respects: “In Bauer Resources we have found a long-term partner who provides us with the necessary production capacity and a suitable sales network,” says Alberding. The equipment will be constructed by a subsidiary of Bauer Resources – SCHACHTBAU NORDHAUSEN GmbH – a specialist in plant engineering with more than 30 years of experience in the field.
As a result, both companies will benefit from the future collaboration as they join forces to address important topics: the reduction of CO2 emissions and the generation of sustainable energy. (BAUER/Si.)
