The paper and pulp industry typically treats its waste as a disposal problem. Wakefield Biochar sees it differently: repurposing that waste stream into biochar for soil conditioning, composting, and beyond. This “beneficial reuse” model doesn't just transform waste into something useful, which not only supports a healthier environment, but also strengthens the economy and boosts profitability for businesses.
Biochar is a stable, carbon-rich material made by heating plant residues to 350-1000°C with little oxygen. It locks carbon into solid form long-term and boosts soil nutrients and plant productivity.
Wakefield Biochar is a family-owned American company dedicated to enhancing the planet’s health through its mission of “Better Soil. Better World.” Since its founding in 2014, Wakefield has championed biochar as a revolutionary tool for improving soil health, sequestering carbon, and replacing harmful chemical fertilisers.
The project specialises in the beneficial reuse of biomass and mill byproducts. The feedstock derives from virgin pine wood from paper mills processed in our state-of-the-art pyrolysis facility in Valdosta, Georgia, a city with a long history in the forestry industry.
The project utilises pyrolysis and gasification to eliminate on-site landfill waste from biomass and plastics. They also generate renewable energy that feeds directly into mill operations and converts mill waste into biochar for land applications and other revenue-generating products.
Follow the latest milestones and updates from this project.
As trees grow, they store carbon from the atmosphere in their biomass through photosynthesis. When this biomass is burned in the absence of oxygen (a process called pyrolysis), one of the byproducts is a stable, carbon-rich residue called biochar.
When biomass decomposes naturally, carbon and methane are emitted into the atmosphere. Since biochar is very stable, the production of biochar using waste biomass, such as waste timber from commercial forests, is a more permanent method of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing the carbon on long-term timescales, than allowing the biomass to decompose naturally.
Mixing the produced biochar into soil can therefore act to permanently lock away its stored carbon, and studies have also found that it can support the fertility and productivity of the soil. This has improved structure, nutrient cycling, and reduced N₂O emissions, particularly on drought-prone pasturelands.
In terms of social co-benefits, there has been a significant positive local economic impact with the creation of over 80 green jobs, especially in disadvantaged areas like Valdosta. Wakefield also leads in scaling dMRV-integrated biochar production with flexibility across both agricultural and industrial markets.
The Biochar project directly supports SDG 13 by transforming waste biomass from the pulp, paper, and sawmill industries into biochar, a stable form of carbon that can be stored in soil for centuries.
These partners help deliver the project and verify its impact.
