Published by Todd Bush on December 21, 2023
Funding will go towards scaling biochar operations to meet commercial demand in combating threats including "forever chemicals", soil remediation and stormwater vulnerabilities
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexus Development Capital, a provider of catalytic capital for sustainable infrastructure project developers, today announced a $5M investment in biochar producer Standard Biocarbon. The funding will enable Standard Biocarbon to scale operations at its facility in Enfield, Maine to meet the growing demand for carbon capture and biochar. The company will commence production of its high-quality biochar in Q1 2024 and is estimated to produce 16,000 cubic yards of biochar and capture 3,000 tons of carbon a year.
Standard Biocarbon was founded by veteran sustainability entrepreneurs Fred Horton and Tom Horton in 2020 to develop a scalable commercial biochar manufacturing capacity in North America. Biochar, a charcoal-like material, is produced by heating organic matter to an extremely high temperature in a low-oxygen environment. The biochar can then store carbon for up to thousands of years. By putting biochar back into the earth, the carbon is permanently removed, making biochar one of the most immediate commercially scalable pathways for carbon removal. In addition to the multiple established agricultural applications, biochar can be used in hazardous waste remediation, stormwater management and in low-carbon cement, pavement and polymers.
Recently, biochar has emerged as a leading carbon removal (CDR) solution, limited only by the pace of scaled production and the growth of biochar adoption. According to new research by the International Biochar Institute, biochar has the potential to capture up to 3 billion metric tons of CO2 annually, reducing global emissions by up to 6 percent. Standard Biocarbon's plant utilizes state-of-the-art technology to efficiently produce biochar of consistently high quality and to create the highest value CDR. This negative emission technology (NET) has high value applications with environmental benefits including:
"Biochar is one of the most cost-effective and commercially ready approaches for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Scaling these types of carbon removal facilities is now one of our biggest opportunities," said Joshua Kaufman, CEO of Nexus Development Capital. "We see Standard Biocarbon as one of the first to bring these in-demand carbon sequestration solutions online to meet the huge appetite across multiple sectors."
Nexus Development Capital's unique investment model focuses on providing catalytic capital to accelerate early-stage project teams that are often developing new FOAK low-carbon solutions. By filling a much-needed investment market gap, Nexus Development Capital enables developers to prove their business model, complete development activities, grow their teams and commercialize their technologies. The company's investment in Standard Biocarbon comes on the heels of its recent investment in SWITCH Maritime, the operator of the US's first hydrogen ferry.
"This investment by Nexus Development Capital has enabled Standard Biocarbon to complete one of the most advanced and efficient biochar plants in the world," said Fred Horton, CEO and co-founder of Standard Biocarbon. "We're seeing incredible interest in a consistent supply of our high-quality purpose-made biochar, which until now has been nearly impossible to find."
Nexus Development Capital is dedicated to providing capital and expertise to teams developing sustainable infrastructure projects. As a market leader in funding energy transition and circular economy assets, Nexus Development Capital's partnership model enables developers to prove their business model, complete development activities, grow their teams and commercialize their technologies. Nexus Development Capital is a partner of Nexus PMG, an industry leading low-carbon infrastructure development and services company. To learn more, visit www.nexusdevcap.com/.
Standard Biocarbon Corp, based in Enfield, Maine is creating a new model to scale biochar production using proven advanced technology and a relentless focus on product quality and consistency to expand markets. We are a first mover in a sector on a trajectory to become a widely used commodity in a range of high value uses. Our first biochar plant is scheduled to start operations in Q1 2024 and will manufacture high carbon biochar from sawmill residuals sourced onsite with full chain of custody. We are working to catalyze a new green growth industry in our region, leveraging a robust but evolving forest products sector to serve growing demand for less CO2 in the air, better soil, cleaner water and more resiliency to the impacts of severe weather. To learn more, visit www.standardbiocarbon.com.
SOURCE Nexus Development Capital
Follow the money flow of climate, technology, and energy investments to uncover new opportunities and jobs.
Inside This Issue 🧪 $400M Bet on Blue Ammonia: Industry Giants Push Carbon Capture in Louisiana 🏭 Linde Signs Long-Term Agreement to Supply Industrial Gases to World-Scale Low-Carbon Ammonia Facil...
Inside This Issue 🔌 BP's Indiana Exit Is Not the Endgame for Clean Hydrogen ☀️ Cadiz Signs Second MOU for Hydrogen - Solar Development at Cadiz Ranch 🏗️ Heidelberg Materials Inaugurates Brevik CCS...
Inside This Issue 🧩 Who Gets Left Behind? Inside the Senate Plan Reshaping America's Clean Energy Future 🌿 TMD Energy Limited Enters into Strategic Memorandum of Agreement to Advance Green Bioener...
Entropy Enters Definitive Agreement to Purchase Strategic Carbon Storage Assets
Transaction increases Entropy's customer base and expands Entropy's operations into Saskatchewan CALGARY, AB, June 23, 2025 /CNW/ - Entropy Inc. ("Entropy"), a subsidiary of Advantage Energy Ltd. ...
Paris Air Show: TotalEnergies Signs a Deal with Quatra to Secure Feedstock for its Biorefineries
TotalEnergies and Quatra, the European market leader in the collection and recycling of used cooking oil, have signed a 15-year agreement beginning in 2026, for the supply of 60,000 tons a year of ...
Funding led by Taranis will accelerate deployment of Elemental’s low-carbon platform that transforms waste into high-value carbon nanomaterials, clean hydrogen, and recovered critical minerals. HO...
First large-scale multi-panel solar-to-hydrogen system to be installed at UT Austin’s Hydrogen ProtoHub, featuring sixteen photoelectrochemical hydrogen reactors totaling more than 30m² in active a...
Follow the money flow of climate, technology, and energy investments to uncover new opportunities and jobs.