Industrial-scale bio-carbon made from recovered wood

US specialist for biogenic energy sources Aymium has announced that it plans to construct a bio-carbon production facility in Williams, California. The facility is intended to support the world’s first large-scale continuous use of bio-carbon to replace fossil coal in power generation. The biofuel will also help to decarbonise industrial processes like steelmaking.

Aymium, a leading producer of renewable bio-carbon products, has announced the construction of a bio-carbon production facility in Williams, California. The facility is intended to support the world’s first large-scale continuous use of bio-carbon to replace fossil coal in power generation. Use of the bio-carbon from the Williams facility to replace coal would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 500,000 tonnes per year, equivalent to removing over 120,000 cars from the road each year. Construction of the facility is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
An international group of investors Asia, North America and Europe dedicated to next-generation decarbonisation technologies has now pledged to fund the construction of the bio-carbon facility with USD 210 million. Senior debt, in the form of green bonds, will be provided jointly by ECP ForeStar and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) through their Green Credit Fund. Subordinated debt will be provided by Japan Green Investment Corp. for Carbon Neutrality (JICN) and Aymium. Equity for the project will come from Hokuriku Electric Power Company, Nippon Steel Trading and Aymium.
Reiner Boehning, Managing Partner of ECP ForeStar, gives the following rationale for the investment: “Aymium, together with its partners, has developed a proven production process that is an important building block to help decarbonise industrial processes like steelmaking and power generation.”
Aymium produces high-value bio-carbon and biohydrogen products that can be used to replace fossil fuels, for example in the production of energy or metals, with no modifications to equipment or processes. For example, Aymium operates the joint venture SDI Biocarbon Solutions together with the steel company Steel Dynamics (SDI) in order to manufacture bio-coke for electric steel production.
The bio-products are based on certified waste biomass such as recovered and unusable wood. Manufacturing takes place in a reactor with energy generated by the facility itself, using a combustion-free process that converts waste biomass into high-purity bio-carbon. Compared to fossil coal, the biogenic energy source offers a higher energy value and smaller environmental impact and is easier to handle. Aymium’s investors include Hokuriku Electric, Nippon Steel Trading, Rio Tinto and Steel Dynamics.
Source: Business Wire/Aymium