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Reinhardt says Charm will only take up half of the farm material in any given field, noting that putting the resulting biochar and ash in the fields will improve soil health. He adds that the competing uses of maize remains depend on the region, but most are not sold or plowed, leaving it to rot and release carbon dioxide.
But he stresses that Charm will appropriately account for alternative uses, land use changes, and these other factors.
The company’s internal carbon math estimates that when the company uses its own pyrolyzers, the process will typically remove the equivalent of 0.85 tons of carbon dioxide per tonne of biomass. Reinhardt says Charm will improve these numbers over time by switching to carbon-neutral syngas instead of diesel to kickstart the pyrolysis process, optimizing its pyrolyzers to convert plant matter into biofuels, and eventually switching to electric trucks.
the role of government
Robert Höglund of Marginal Carbon AB, a consulting firm specializing in carbon removal and climate policy, is betting that Charm’s customers are paying a hefty $600 per tonne today to help “start” the approach, and the company can drive costs down. . But he says it’s unclear whether Charm’s method will become one of the most effective, scalable or affordable over time, or whether it will be the best use of this biomass as the need for renewable energy sources more than ever increases.
It’s also unlikely that companies will continue to purchase enough carbon removals to reach the billions of tons per year that may ultimately be necessary to sustain emerging businesses, both to stabilize the planet’s temperatures and to pull greenhouse gas out of the air.
In reality, investors and startups are betting that governments will pass laws that subsidize, encourage, or mandate these practices. First, Reinhardt acknowledges that his government’s policy will be crucial to creating carbon removal markets that will allow his company and others to thrive.
He said Charm is working to educate lawmakers in California and Washington DC, calling for greater support from the nascent industry, as well as tech-free rules as researchers and companies explore a variety of avenues.
“Enterprise buyers like Microsoft, Stripe, and Shopify will only reach so much scale, and then regulation will have to step in,” Reinhardt said in an email. “There’s been a lot of innovation in the space, and we just need it to unlock.”
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