"Climate Action at a New Level” – How CARBONITY is Shaping the Future of Carbon Removal
- FC-Newsteam
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
An interview with Nino Berta, Senior Project Manager in the Technical Removal Solutions Team (TRS) at First Climate
With the industrial biochar plant officially starting production in Canadian Port-Cartier, Quebec, the CARBONITY project is ushering in a new chapter for climate action worldwide. The joint venture between Airex Energy, SUEZ, and Groupe Rémabec has the potential to be a gamechanger in the field of technical carbon removals and bring the technology to the next level. With First Climate’s support, the project is currently undergoing the last phase of Puro.earth’s certification process. Nino Berta from First Climate’s technical removal solutions team explains to us in an interview what makes CARBONITY so special and how companies can benefit.
Nino, everyone's talking about biochar. Why is that?
Because it is one of the few technologies today that already generate negative emissions. Many climate measures aim to avoid or reduce emissions. Biochar technology takes that a step further and actively removes CO2 from the atmosphere—for the long-term. It does this by trapping the carbon that plants have absorbed during photosynthesis in a stable form so that it is not released back into the air as CO2. Compared to other technologies in the carbon dioxide removals (CDR) field, biochar is already ahead in that it is available now and easily scalable.
What does that mean for companies aiming for climate neutrality?
Avoiding emissions and making operational processes more efficient should always be prioritized for companies wanting to become climate neutral. As the climate crisis continues to worsen, it is also clear that we must increasingly use tools that actively remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Large companies such as Microsoft, which are already among CARBONITY's customers, are leading the way. Carbon removal solutions are scaling quickly and becoming increasingly available, making them now an interesting option for many companies.
… which is what we're seeing now with the CARBONITY project starting production?
Yes, exactly. The CARBONITY plant uses state-of-the-art pyrolosis technology from Airex Energy which makes it possible to produce high-quality biochar. But what really sets the CARBONITY project apart is its sheer size. Once the plant is in full operation, which we want to achieve by 2026, it will produce 30,000 tons of biochar per year. That’s the equivalent of around 75,000 tons of captured CO2. The carbon removals field that we’re working in is still relatively young, so this project scale is a real breakthrough—its climate action at a new level.
How does biochar work, exactly?
It all starts with the natural process of photosynthesis: plants—in CARBONITY’s case, that would be the trees in the sustainably managed forests around Port Cartier—absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere during their growth and store it as part of biomass accumulation. Using a specialized pyrolysis process, a large portion of the carbon in that biomass is then locked into biochar through heating in the absence of oxygen. Biochar is very stable and does not significantly decompose. When biochar is used as a soil enhancer in agriculture or as an additive in the construction industry, the carbon remains permanently removed from the atmosphere. We see biochar as a key building block to a climate-friendly economy. It’s also important to note that our biochar is made exclusively from organic material that can no longer be used for other purposes. In our case, that means leftover wood from the local sawmill.
What's next for the CARBONITY project?
As CARBONITY’s partner, we want to establish First Climate as one of the leading providers of carbon removal credits. The project is on a strong growth trajectory—not just in Canada. We have global ambitions. By 2035, production capacity is set to scale up to as much as 350,000 tons of biochar.Our team is currently supporting the project’s audit process as part of the project’s certification under the registry standard. Once verification is complete, the first CARBONITY carbon credits are expected to be issued later this summer, marking another key milestone for the project and for climate action through carbon dioxide removal.
