Maine companies look to biochar as a climate solution, to capture carbon and improve soil health

In a former biomass plant in Greenville, wood chips are flowing from hoppers into long tubes about three feet in diameter. Pat Jones is the president of Clean Maine Carbon, which burns wood in high-temperature, low-oxygen conditions known as pyrolysis. “It starts out as wood" he said. "And as you can see when we come over here what comes out the other end is biochar.” In the quest for climate solutions, Jones is among the Maine entrepreneurs banking on this charcoal-like substance. They say it can bind up carbon for decades, and improve agricultural soils at the same time. A second biochar facility, Standard Biocarbon in Enfield, hopes to start production in the next few months, and aims to produce about 1,200 tons annually.