The company
About Standard Biochar
Standard Biochar is a Standard Magic venture based in Maine. We produce biochar, and we process organic feedstock from partners into biochar they can use or sell. The company is small, and we prefer to describe what we do plainly.
The operation
We run a batch pyrolysis operation sized for regional feedstock: brush, slash, sawdust, bark, prunings, and crop residue from within a reasonable haul. Material is logged on arrival, dried and sized as needed, converted, cooled, and screened. We sell what we make and return a share to the partners who want it.
Capacity, equipment, and lead times change as we grow. We would rather tell you the current numbers when you ask than publish figures that go stale. Ask, and we will confirm.
The feedstock-to-biochar loop
A great deal of woody and agricultural residue is chipped and left, burned in the open, or trucked to a landfill or to a compost facility that is already full. Each of those paths loses most of the carbon back to the air within a few years, and the last two cost money.
Our loop is simple. A partner's residue comes to us. We convert it into biochar. Some of that biochar goes back to the partner's fields or bedding, some is blended into compost, and some is sold. The carbon that would have gone back to the air stays in the ground.
We think this works best at a regional scale, where hauling distances are short and the people sending feedstock are the same people who benefit from the product.
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Residue in
Logged by source, type, and moisture.
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Conversion
Dried, sized, and pyrolyzed in batches.
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Biochar out
Screened, moistened, weighed, and recorded.
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Back to the land
Returned to partners, blended into compost, or sold.
Sustainability and measurement
Our stance is that a claim is worth exactly as much as the record behind it. So we keep records.
What we log
Feedstock source, type, and approximate moisture in. Process temperature and duration. Biochar mass out. Where each batch went.
What we test
We send samples out for analysis on a regular basis. Typical results cover moisture, ash, fixed carbon, pH, and the ratio of hydrogen to organic carbon, which indicates how stable the carbon is. We share the results we hold for any batch on request.
What we do not claim
We do not hold certifications we have not earned, and we do not sell carbon credits that have not been issued by a registry. If we register a project, we will say which registry, which protocol, and what was verified. Until then, we offer the measurements and let you draw your own conclusions.
Measured, not marketed
We are proud of the work and skeptical of the hype. If a benefit is uncertain, we will say so. If a number is an estimate, we will call it one.
Talk to us
Write to [email protected], or use the form that fits what you need.