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Ian Stanley, Director at Rainbow Bee Eater explains how the Echo2 pyrolysis technology works on location at Holla Fresh Herbs in Tantanoola, S.A.

Corporate Tech giant Microsoft have hopped on the steering wheel of the global economy ship by understanding and repairing the effect their business activities have had in the past and are still having on the carbon cycle. We are proud to announce that ANZ Biochar made it into the mix after careful reflection.

The nascent carbon removal industry just had a big pebble dropped into it’s pond that will cause ripple effects right to the edge as they lead the way along with other Fortune 500 Companies such as Stripe, Shopify & Swiss Re to focus on methods and technologies that suck CO2 out of the atmosphere in the short, medium and long term. Biochar was the only medium term solution they chose.

Our colleagues in Europe (Germany & Finland) joined Australia’s ECHO2 pyrolysis technology developed by Rainbow Bee Eater (RBE) and specifically the Holla Fresh Bioenergy & Biochar Project in Tantanoola, South Australia. In any given year from here on in this project is estimated to produce approximately 1000 -1500 tonnes of biochar which equates to 2880 – 4320 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per annum. In this it’s inaugural year, Microsoft purchased 400 mtCO2 from the project.

The Echo2 was originally funded by Alcoa, the Australian Aluminium company as a way of de-carbonising their processes but it didn’t progress to the commercial phase as the company could not produce a clean syngas from it. Former Alcoa Senior Executive Peter Burgess who was also a Director of Rainbow Bee Eater at the time wrote into the contract that they would take over the technology and develop it if Alcoa were not interested. That’s exactly what they did.

Peter travelled to world to see if he could find a pyrolysis technology that could produce a clean syngas suitable to use as a form of bioenergy in commercial enterprises but to his demise was unsuccessful. RBE have spent a now 12 year journey to develop the technology to what it is today.

Protected Cropping is the first industry that has benefited from the Echo2 in ANZ, powering a 1 hectare glasshouse growing herbs for Woolworths, Coles and other produce retail outlets. Holla Fresh Herbs are ideally located halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide, servicing both markets.

The carbon removal certificates produced by the Echo2 @ Holla Fresh Herbs were made possible by the world’s first voluntary carbon removal marketplace, Puro.Earth of which the Echo2 is listed as a supplier. This early adopter underwent a rigorous verification process including a life cycle assessment (LCA) to ensure they have removed the carbon from the atmosphere and stored it in soil in the medium to long term for between 100 years up to a millennia. The LCA was carried out by Energy Link Services.

99% of the short term natural solutions Microsoft chose were sustainable tree planting and verified soil carbon projects which highlight three important points. (i) Tree planting & soil carbon are the current cheapest, at scale carbon removal method (ii) TP & SC are short term because there are so many variables to consider when it comes to their permanency such as decay and combustion. (iii) sustainable land management a.k.a. Pyrogenic Carbon Capture & Storage (PyCCS) combined with bioenergy and biochar production is now a solid & secure business activity to be involved in.

Impact investors therefore take note of the safe bet that biochar provides when it comes to carbon removal and carbon accounting. Microsoft have put their money where their mouth is, watch others follow.

Microsoft carbon removal Lessons from an early corporate purchase

For More Information contact:

Don Coyne

CEO @ ANZBIG

execdirect@anzbig.org

+61459175729

Last week, ANZBIG delivered a Biochar Workshop by our Foundational Member and Education & Training Co-ordinator, Professor Stephen Joseph PhD AM. The following report was submitted. In this instance, a Pizza Cob Oven was used so that it was fire safe and steel drum retorts were placed inside. ANZBIG aims to purchase a mobile kiln in 2021 for a series of regional workshops or provide a pizza oven. Please send your expressions of interest to hold a workshop to execdirect@anzbig.org

Wherrol Flat & Caparra Landcare Group

11th & 12th December, 2020 at Tinonee, NSW with Professor Stephen Joseph, from ANZBIG

Thanks to Stephen for the presentation of the workshop, his skills to deliver, passion and knowledge of biochar was amazing.  We completed an evaluation form at the end of the workshop and every participant gave him the highest assessment. Stephen was able to deliver the information on a farmer level which is important. There was lots of information to take in but combining the theory with the practical aspect kept the participants enthusiastic. Making the biochar was fun, we were put into groups and had to discuss the recipes and make biochar.  Different ratios of ingredients were used depending on what use the biochar was intended for. The ingredients varied we had straw, wood chip, chicken manure, crusher dust and red clay. Biochar has many uses could have been, for animal nutrition, growing vegetables, fruit trees/orchards or pastures. We made pizzas in the oven after the biochar and then we got to eat them which everyone enjoyed. Incorporating biochar into your garden/farming system has many health/environmental benefits. It can increase the water holding capacity of soil, stores carbon, increases your yield in production and profit. Biochar is able to lock up heavy metals in the soil so they aren’t plant available, added to water soluble nutrients buffers them, can be mixed with molasses and fed to livestock this enhances their nutrition and when they produce manure dung beetles bury the biochar into the soil. Various designs of retorts were discussed which gave participants food for thought depending on what scale of biochar production they intend to do. I can’t forget to mention Stephen had lots of stories to tell from his experiences throughout the world. Early on in his journey included working with Australian aboriginal people in Arnhem land who taught him a lot about making biochar. We had an educational two days and we would like to have Stephen back again, to encourage others to attend to learn about the various uses/benefits of biochar.

Alison Allan