5 key points that speak for hydrochar
Over the last half year, we've had many conversations about hydrochar. In this newsletter, we've distilled the key points that resonated with most stakeholders.
Hydrochar is an appealing technology that increases in attractiveness the more time we spend on investigating its many options. But the range of possibilities can be quite dizzying, so every once in a while we should cut it down to the essentials and offer an “elevator pitch”. After our first 25 newsletters, it's a good time to do just that and point out a few succinct benefits and advantages of hydrochar.
Create fast coal
The best way to tackle our global carbon problem is to reverse the carbon emissions cycle. Hydrochar is literally “fast coal”. It is the result of an accelerated coal creation process via hydrothermal carbonization — creating coal-like substances in a matter of hours rather than hundreds of thousands of years. Plus it's significantly cleaner than real coal — no heavy metals. And keep in mind: solid carbon is the most stable carbon compound in nature: it can endure millions of years if stored safely.
Upcycle waste biomass
The input for hydrothermal carbonization is mostly unattractive solid and wet waste biomass: agricultural residues, invasive plant species, sewage sludge, fermentation residues, municipal grass cuttings, foliage. The output is usable char with many attractive properties for use as fuel, for storage and sequestration.
Some ten percent of the initial biomass will be turned into hydrochar, capturing energy at about five megawatt per metric ton. All the important (and valuable) nutrients of the biomass like phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium or magnesium are contained in the process water and can be restored into the nutrient cycle. Waste to value.
Build decentralized ecosystems
Much of what passes for carbon capture technology in the public discussion is technologically overengineered, requires massive capital expenditures and running costs for energy, and only works in ideal conditions.
Hydrochar production is the VW Beetle of carbon technologies. It's simple, sturdy, proven for over 100 years, can be installed in simple, mobile units, and can be deployed almost anywhere, including in adverse climates and emerging economies with low-tech infrastructures.
Use exothermic technologies
For some reason, the public opinion has gravitated towards the notion that in order to halt the carbon cycle, we have to suck CO2 out of the air. We don't.
Preventing carbon-rich biomass from turning into CO2 by stabilizing the carbon is ultimately much more energy-efficient, in the case of hydrothermal carbonization even exothermic — a process that produces rather than consumes energy. Let nature do the CO2 collecting step – this has been her production know-how for several billion years.
Design flexible processes
As we've discussed over the last half year, hydrochar offers a dizzying array of opportunities. That makes it hard to explain, but perfectly adaptable to many environments, requirements, and demands. If we want to build a simple sewage plant, recapture phosphorus, create biogas, restore moors, or build a full-blown certificate-based carbon capture economy, hydrochar offers simple design patterns that can be fit to the purpose.
Just think of this newsletter as the pattern language for carbon economy design patterns.