Substrate Biochar, a company focused on delivering industrial biochar solutions in Africa, announced that its first site in South Africa is now operational.
Located in the South African province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, the site called Charworks 01 is now up and running, working towards 24-hour operations.
According to Substrate Biochar, once fully operational, this site will be able to tackle 5,000 tCO2e per year. In 2027, the company plans for this capacity to increase threefold.
“6 months ago, this was a derelict site. Since then we’ve built the plant on site and got all permits in place, and a team of 15+ has been learning to run it,” the company shared in a recent publication.
“We’re now ramping up towards 24-hour operation, with additional production lines to follow to take the site to full capacity,” the publication states.
As shared by Substrate Biochar, the Kwa-Zulu Natal site was commissioned in September 2026, and the facility successfully produced its first biochar this month.
To create the biochar, the project uses pine sawdust from local sawmills as feedstock, preventing this waste biomass from being stockpiled or burnt, which would release more CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The company has said that its team works with partner mills using standing pine forests.
The resulting biochar product enables durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) while also helping improve local agricultural soils, revitalizing degraded landscapes and delivering additional environmental benefits.
This project represents Substrate Biochar’s first industrial-scale site, and it marks a milestone in the company’s journey of building Africa’s largest biochar CDR platform.
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