Ontario’s Char Tech Uses Pyrolysis of Woody Biomass to Make Biogas, Biocarbon as a Met Coal Replacement, Biochar as a Soil Amendment, and Activated Biochar for Contaminant Removal: They Also Want to Convert Biosolids to Biochar

      Ontario-based Char Tech is partnering with steel producers in Canada and the U.S. to use high-temperature pyrolysis for organic waste streams in order to produce biogas and biocarbon, a solid fuel for steel production. At the same time, it offers a disposal solution for woody biomass, biosolids, and other materials by turning them into biogas.

     According to Jacob Wallace of Waste Dive:

“The company began by developing a process to convert anaerobic digestate into an activated carbon product that could pull hydrogen sulfide out of biogas. But when executives met with steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal, they decided to pursue a solution to produce biocarbon that could replace metallurgical coal in steelmaking facilities.”

     Char Tech is developing a facility to process woody biomass. The output of the facility is expected to be 20% solids that can be turned into biocarbon and 78% volatile matter and gas. The biogas can be further processed into RNG. Steelmakers could potentially readily offtake significant amounts of biocarbon. Biochar is another potential byproduct. However, the market for biochar is mainly for carbon offsets, and guaranteed offtake is less certain.

     Char Tech is also involved in processing biosolids left over from sewage treatment into biochar with a process that also removes PFAS chemicals. They are involved with the city of Baltimore for such a project.

“Char Tech’s first commercial-scale plant is expected to come online this month in Thorold, Ontario. It’s developing two other facilities in Saint-Félicien, Québec, and Hurket, Ontario. Each of those is expected to produce biocarbon and RNG. White said the company is also interested in advancing its biosolids process in the United States, potentially by licensing the technology rather than building new plants itself.”

“Ultimately what we’re doing here is important,” White said. “It’s about getting the technology deployed rapidly.”

     To summarize, the company is using woody biomass waste to produce biocarbon for steelmaking, along with biogas. They are also processing biosolids into biochar, removing PFAS chemicals. Their high-temperature pyrolysis (HTP) process is a continuous autothermal process, where organic materials (biomass, biosolids, organic waste streams) are heated to over 800°C in a completely oxygen-free environment to create two high-value coproducts: biocarbon and renewable energy.

     There is another product they are also exploring. That is activated biochar. They note below what it is, what it does, and how it is activated. It can be used in the environmental remediation industry and for odor control at landfills, a big need.

 

 

References:

 

Char Tech develops pyrolysis to fuels sites; RNG news from Waga, Neogenyx: The Ontario-based company is partnering with steelmakers to turn woody biomass into a replacement for metallurgical coal and RNG. Jacob Wallace. Waste Dive. September 4, 2026. Char Tech develops pyrolysis to fuels sites; RNG news from Waga, Neogenyx | Waste Dive

Biocarbon & Biochar. Char Tech. BIOCARBON | CHAR Technologies