PyroNam, a Namibian biochar plant, aims to reclaim 5,000 hectares of farmland over the next decade by transforming invasive bush into biochar, a sustainable soil additive that boosts agriculture and combats climate change.
According to PyroNam’s Biochar Manager, Eckhard Volkmann, this project aims to convert 3,500 tonnes of wood into 1,000 tonnes of biochar annually, a feat that could improve soil fertility, water retention and crop yields, benefitting Namibian farmers facing harsh dryland conditions.
“We will certainly reach our objective to produce 1,000 tonnes of biochar in a year, and if we scale that, then that would roughly be the wood that is available on 5,000 hectares, which is the average size of a commercial farm in 10 years. That is the idea. If this plant were to run for the next 10 years, we would presumably deep-debush the terrain of one commercial farm around it; that is how the investment funders built it,” he said.
Also speaking during a tour of the facility, the company’s Managing Director, Henrike Geldmacher, said the company’s operations in Namibia also produce high-tech carbon credits, certified by standard in Germany.
These carbon credits can be sold on the voluntary international market, allowing industrial companies, especially those in CO₂-positive (high-emission) sectors, to purchase the credits to offset their carbon emissions and work toward becoming CO₂-neutral.
The revenue from selling these carbon credits helps finance PyroNam’s carbon capture projects, including the development of costly, environmentally friendly plants that convert bush biomass into biochar.
“High-tech carbon credits can be presented or sold at the voluntary international market for companies in industrial countries who are CO2 positive and to neutralise there to get neutral to CO2 zero, let’s say. And we can help them with that,” she said.
She further said the company aims to establish 50 plants by 2030, but substantial financing is needed for these projects.
“We are clustering these plants strategically. One cluster will be at Otjiwarongo, with additional clusters planned based on specific discussions regarding communal land and other areas. We have just begun this important work,” she said.
PyroNam’s project is an investment facilitated through the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board.
