First large-scale carbon removal parks in Germany

Hamburg, July 15, 2022. Novocarbo is implementing new large-scale and permanent carbon dioxide removal parks in Germany. This will increase the company’s carbon removal and storage capacity to 16,000 metric tons of CO2 per year over the next two years.  With an investment volume of 25 million euros, the company is thus heralding industrial scaling in Europe.

The basis for the scaling is a new, ultra-modern pyrolysis system from PYREG, type PX1500. Novocarbo will put two of these systems into operation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the third quarter of 2022, which will, in turn, produce ca. 2,700 additional tons of carbon removal credits annually. As early as this summer, another system goes into operation at a well-known German industrial group, generating around 1,350 carbon removal credits annually. Two more carbon removal parks will follow, in 2023 and 2024, with an additional removal capacity of 10,800 t CO2 p.a. In addition, further sites are under development: according to current plans, capacity will be expanded to over 30,000 t CO2 per year by 2025.

“With our carbon removal parks, we have developed a blueprint – a holistic solution that works at any location in the world. It combines CO2 sequestration with regenerative heat and the production of sustainable materials for industry. Our solution is not only easily scalable, but also economical and sustainable over the long term. Above all, it’s not just a concept, it’s already a reality today,” explains CEO Caspar von Ziegner.

The new parks represent a novel combination of active climate protection with multiple economically viable business models. Novocarbo manages a variety of organic residues, transforms it into biochar, and sells it to industries like construction and agriculture that can use it sustainably. It sells the resulting carbon removal certificates, and provides regenerative heat created by the pyrolysis process.

Furthermore, Novocarbo offers long-term contracts through which future quotas for carbon removal credits can be secured today. An investment in the machine park is also possible with these models. Through these multi-year contracts, Novocarbo is the first provider to launch high-quality, large-scale carbon removal projects.

The basis for the PyCCS technology (Pyrogenic Carbon Capture & Storage) is the carbon contained in plant residues. In the natural carbon cycle, this would be released back into the atmosphere as CO2 through the decomposition of the biomass or forest fires. PyCCS transforms the carbon into a stable form, securely binding it for thousands of years.

“To reach the 1.5-degree target, we need a rapid expansion of PyCCS technology. In contrast to other available CDR technologies, we can already economically remove CO2 from the atmosphere at substantial levels, and then offer carbon removal credits at competitive prices.  And that’s without any secondary, undeterminable effects or new problems, because we have already been able to prove where the CO2 goes. We turn atmospheric carbon dioxide into marketable products,” says CSO Paul Doertenbach.

To actively support Novocarbo’s scaling and the expansion of the plant park, the company’s management was expanded at the start of 2022. The circular economy expert Paul Doertenbach took over the role of CSO for the strategic alignment of all sales activities of the company, while Sven Wissebach, as CFO/COO, is responsible for financing and team building and Venna von Lepel, as CCO, directs the certification and marketing of the carbon credits.