Carbon-Smart Concrete Materials

Lower carbon. Made for the mix you already pour. Chicago-based.

Biochar Concrete Solutions is developing engineered biochar, a stable, carbon-rich material from biomass that substitutes for a portion of the portland cement in a concrete mix. It's incorporated the way producers already use supplementary cementitious materials like fly ash and slag, with their existing batching, delivery, and placement. The carbon stays locked in the structure for its full service life, designed to lower the mix's footprint. The removal certificates for that stored carbon belong to BCS; producers get the lower-carbon mix.

BCS is developing its first Chicago-area production facility. Product is not yet available for sale or sampling; independent testing and certification are in progress.

8% of global CO₂ comes from making cement
30B tonnes of concrete used worldwide each year

Figures drawn from published industry research.

Why Biochar

Designed to reduce portland-cement use and store biogenic carbon.

Most of concrete's footprint comes from cement. Biochar replaces a portion of that cement and puts durably stored carbon into the mix, using the batching and equipment producers already have.

Lasting Carbon Capture

Biochar holds its carbon in a stable form for centuries. Cast into concrete, that carbon stays in place for the service life of the structure. We will quantify that durability under a recognized carbon-removal methodology rather than promising it will last forever.

Built to Perform

We are engineering particle size, dosage, and moisture control so our biochar works as a supplementary cementitious material, substituting for a portion of the portland cement, used the way producers already batch fly ash and slag, with no new equipment anticipated.

Circular by Design

We will turn urban wood that would otherwise decay or be landfilled into durable biochar, keeping carbon and resources in productive use in the region where they came from. Feedstocks include arborist residuals, clean C&D wood, and industrial scrap.

The Big Picture

A material the world depends on, with a carbon problem.

Cement is responsible for about 8% of global CO₂ emissions, and demand keeps climbing. Biochar is intended to lower the carbon in each yard produced.

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Made for real-world building

Stable Carbon locked in solid form
↓ CO₂ Lower embodied carbon
Compatible Works with standard mixes
Local Rooted in the Chicago market
From Biomass to Building

How we plan to make carbon-smart concrete possible

BiomassPlants capture CO₂
PyrolysisHeated, low oxygen
BiocharStable carbon solid
Concrete mixBlended into the mix
Locked inStays for its lifetime
CO₂ captured from the air CO₂ held in durable storage

Lower-carbon concrete, built on evidence.

Whether you're an investor, a producer, or a builder, we're glad to share where we are and what still has to be proven.

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