The future looks pitch black – and that’s actually a good thing.

et stykke biokul mellem to fingre ude på en mark i solskinsvejr

When it comes to pyrolysis and biochar, black really is the new green. The dark, carbon-rich material produced when biomass is heated without oxygen has the potential to play a key role in climate mitigation. From long-term carbon storage in soils to improved agricultural practices, biochar is gaining ground – quite literally.

4th of June, the two INNO-CCUS projects, SIMPLY and BioStore, brought together researchers, municipalities, and businesses at the University of Copenhagen’s research station in Taastrup. The summer seminar featured new findings, field experiments, and essential discussions about how to move pyrolysis from theory to practice – and into the soil.

From biomass to biochar: The SIMPLY project boosts carbon storage in agriculture

The interdisciplinary seminar clearly showed how science, technology, society and planning processes must go hand in hand if Denmark is to achieve its ambitious climate goals. SIMPLY delivers new knowledge on how pyrolysis can be integrated into existing frameworks and how value chains – from biomass to biochar and carbon capture – can be made economically and administratively sustainable.

Interdisciplinarity and anchoring are key

The seminar clearly showed that pyrolysis and biochar are not just technical solutions, but part of a larger societal transition that requires collaboration across disciplines, sectors and administrative levels. It is precisely this realization that lies behind the organization of the two projects:

Societal transitions are complex processes that require broad involvement and anchoring. The process of establishing a Danish pyrolysis sector is no exception. To support this work, the two INNO-CCUS projects BioStore and SIMPLY have been developed as interdisciplinary, context- and impact-oriented projects. The fact that we can organize a joint project seminar with such broad support further strengthens the interdisciplinarity, qualification and dissemination of the knowledge produced. – Tobias Pape Thomsen, Associate Professor at RUC and Project Manager for Simply.

With input from researchers, practitioners, planners and investors, the seminar was a clear step towards building the necessary bridges – from knowledge to action, and from experimentation to social solution.

Field visits and future perspectives

With a map in hand, participants were guided around the various biochar field trials where they could experience first-hand how biochar affects soil and crops in practice. The atmosphere was high, and there was a shared curiosity and energy around the project – from specific soil profiles to big questions about the technology’s role in future agriculture.

Further work in SIMPLY and BioStore

Both SIMPLY and BioStore are now continuing their work to deepen and disseminate the knowledge that will make pyrolysis and biochar robust and applicable climate solutions in a Danish context. The two projects work closely together to ensure that research and practice go hand in hand and that new knowledge can quickly be brought into play among farmers, authorities and decision-makers.

What is pyrolysis and biochar – and how is it used in agriculture?

Pyrolysis is a thermochemical process in which biomass – for example straw, manure or garden waste – is heated without oxygen. This results in the formation of biochar, which is a stable form of carbon. When biochar is spread on agricultural land, it can improve soil structure and fertility, as well as retain moisture, reduce nutrient leaching – not to mention sequester carbon in the soil for decades or even centuries.

In this way, pyrolysis acts as a negative carbon emission method because it removes carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil – while creating value in agriculture.