Page 8 - BusinessWest September 30, 2024

“It’s pretty much agreed to now by most scientists now that the level of CO2 in the atmosphere increases the temperature
of the planet because CO2 holds more heat.”
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CarbonStar
100 gallons of liquids, a combination of liquid fertilizer and bio-oils, and we’re going to get 75,000 cubic feet of a gas that we can use
to generate electricity to run the system,” he explained, noting the highly sustainable character of this system.
As for biochar, as he scooped out a large handful of the sub- stance, which he called “solid carbon,” Garjian said it has a number of practical uses.
“When I first began to produce it and sell it in 2006 — Irene and I were the first ones ever to sell biochar online — we were selling
it as an additive for agricultural land. It improves the quality of the soil; it will replenish and bring life back to depleted soils,” he told BusinessWest, adding that it can also be an additive in the produc- tion of cement, and he is in preliminary talks with Sublime Sys- tems, which will build a plant in Holyoke to produce environmen- tally friendly cement, about partnering with that venture.
While operating the system in Holyoke, the company plans to move into production of such systems in the adjoining manufactur- ing space, said Garjian, adding that needed capital to do so could be secured from any of several sources, including major corpora- tions such as Microsoft and the federal government, which is pour- ing billions of dollars into carbon-removal technologies.
The systems themselves are mobile and able to operate in remote areas, he noted.
“Theoretically, when you have one these machines and you get
it started with a small generator, it will begin to produce its own power to run itself, and provide electricity as well. So you can put them is small villages in isolated places, third-world countries, or places like Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria; they didn’t have elec- tricity for six months in the middle of the island.”
Manufacturing these systems will obviously lead to the creation of jobs for Holyoke and the region, he said, adding that, overall, jobs can be created on many levels, including the removal of biomass from forest floors and even spaces just off country roads, as he noted earlier.
These jobs, not to mention the myriad benefits for the environ- ment, are just some of the many things, beyond mere symmetry, to like about this intriguing new business venture. BW
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420.
“And the level of increase per year is increasing,” he went on.
“It’s going in the opposite direction we want it to.”
All this also explains why Elon Musk created the $100 million
XPrize for Carbon Removal, which Garjian sought a share of with his catalytic vacuum pyrolysis system, which he describes as one of the most carbon-negative processes in the world, meaning it sequesters CO2 from the atmosphere permanently.
CarbonStar didn’t win a cash prize — only four teams will, and these will be announced next spring — but the company was recog- nized in the official top 100 list; it officially placed 80th out of 1,400 entries, and in the top 28 among land-based systems.
It Comes Naturally
But there may be some even more important prizes in store for this company.
Indeed, Garjian and his team have made some improvements to the prototype, which is the next generation of a system he helped develop several years ago, and have started running it with wood chips supplied by a lumber yard in Westfield, with the goal of even- tually running it 24/7, maybe 300 days a year.
“Over the past three years, since we turned it on the first time, we’ve made some improvements in it, improved its throughput, and achieved better control over some areas,” he explained, adding that, while working on the systems, those involved also secured the space in Holyoke and moved in last year.
The system, which sequesters 367 tons of CO2 for every 67 tons it emits, will, as noted, produce biochar and several other products, including heavy and light bio-oils, which can be used as heating oil or refined to produce aviation and automotive fuels, as well as wood vinegar, which can be used as fertilizer.
“When we go in with a ton of wood, we’re going to get 520 pounds of biochar, which is 85% to 90% pure carbon, as well as
8 SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 << FEATURE >>
BusinessWest