Have you come across biochar in the garden section of the store? The most enthusiastic green thumbs have already been able to test the product in the home garden, but the use is also spreading in public construction.
GRK, known as a tunnel builder, invests in biochar production in Finland. The product helps bind carbon to green structures and increase the positive climate effects of construction.
"As a porous material, biochar has dozens of different uses in construction. At the same time, it acts as a carbon sink and curbs climate change," says GRK's environmental technology business director Anneliina Kupiainen.
GRK designs, builds, repairs and maintains roads, tracks and bridges, but is also rapidly developing its expertise in environmental technology. The company has established a bioproducts unit, and facilities for the production of biochar are planned to be built in Estonia and Sweden as well.
"By 2025, the goal is investments of around 20 million euros in at least five facilities. Finland's first plant was completed last year in Utajärvi, and good experiences have already been gained from it," says Kupiainen.
At first, in my own projects
GRK intends to use biochar especially for managing and cleaning storm, waste and process water. Biochar has a lot of possibilities for filtering different types of water - even considering the euphoric Baltic Sea.
So far, self-produced biochar goes to own projects.
"Responsibility is a key factor in our strategy, according to which GRK intends to be carbon neutral in its own operations by 2030. Biochar is one of the products that can be used to reduce the emissions of one's own operations."
Coal has been used as a soil conditioner, in filter solutions, and in the green area finishing of fairway projects. Destinations have been, for example, the Vaasa cycling alliance and the Kalasatama to Pasilaan project.
The goal is to be a significant biochar producer in Finland and later also in the Nordic countries.
"Interest and demand in the market are growing all the time. The city of Helsinki has been a pioneer in the use of biochar, while in Sweden, their road agency Trafikverket has used it a lot."
From mushroom cultivation to wastewater treatment
The joint project of the Lohja Munkka waste center is an interesting example of the meeting of traditional construction and biotechnological research.
In the project, an entire circular economy ecosystem will be created in the waste center in cooperation between GRK, Rosk'n Roll, Kiertoravinte and Redono.
The MunBio project aims at local nutrient recycling and water management, as well as the production of cleaner biomass, local food, soil conditioners and food raw materials.
At the same time, new ways are being sought to improve water management in landfill areas and to reduce the load on the city's wastewater treatment plant. In the project, among other things, wastewater filtration with biochar is being piloted.
Biochar is produced in pyrolysis, where biomass is heated in an oxygen-free or low-oxygen environment. The raw material of GRK's Utajärvi production facility is wood chips produced as a byproduct of a nearby sawmill. The surplus heat of the process is utilized in the production of pellets. In the future, recycled wood, willow and horse bedding manure can also be used as raw materials.
MPs and forest bioeconomy experts chose the biochar developed by GRK and Carbon Balance Finland as the winner of the 2023 New Tree competition. Read more at Forest.fi!
Advantages of biochar
- One ton of biochar binds about three tons of carbon from the air.
- Biochar improves the soil's water retention capacity and nutrient binding capacity.
- Biochar binds soil moisture and heavy metals and increases its porosity and airiness.
The story is a summary from before In the Jokka web magazine of the published story.
