The city of Minneapolis plans to build a $1.5 million biochar production facility, which reportedly is the first city-owned plants of its kind to turn wood debris into biochar.

Minneapolis is one of seven cities in the world to receive grant funding for biochar projects, and it is using the funding to build a biochar facility. It already has site designs and has been permitted for use. Construction is underway this summer and the facility is expected to be completed by the Fall.

Partnering with BluSky Carbon, a startup specializing in pyrolizers, devices that convert wood into biochar through pyrolysis, which is the heating of an organic material in the absence of oxygen.  Because no oxygen is present combustion does not occur, rather the biomass thermally decomposes into combustible gases and bio-char.

Minneapolis invested $575,000 in BluSky’s technology, which heats the raw material to 700 degrees F. Located near Huntington Bank Stadium, the 4,242-square-foot facility at 670 25th Ave. SE will commence operations this fall. 

Biochar can be mixed into soil, and has a wide range of demonstrated benefits, including increasing crop yields and enhancing the soil’s capacity to hold water. Some studies suggest it can filter contaminants out of stormwater. The city plans to use the biochar in public works projects and donate it to community groups in “green zones,” neighborhoods with high levels of pollution and marginalized populations. It’s also in talks with other local governments that might be interested in buying some.

The city already has a biochar program that was operated by purchasing the biochar materials. Biochar technology, it says, aids the environment in many ways:

• Stop climate change
• Improve soil quality. 
• Reduce waste

According to the city, the facility will receive up to 3,600 tons of wood waste, and be able to convert the waste into 500 tons of biochar each year. The International Biochar Initiative (IBI) Certification Program will certify the biochar, which will go through a series of tests for certification.