Dusseldorf Producing plastic, fertilizer and activated charcoal while binding CO2 from the atmosphere instead of releasing it – the technology of the carbonauts could solve some of the problems of the industry in the climate crisis. Founder Torsten Becker has set himself the goal of replacing petroleum-based and climate-damaging products with sustainable and climate-positive materials.
The approach of the start-up from Giengen in Baden-Württemberg: Carbonation plants convert biomass into biocarbons in which the CO2 is permanently bound. For this purpose, Carbonauten mainly uses leftovers from forestry and agriculture, the food and wood industries. This also creates a surplus of renewable energy, as well as hydrogen and high-quality bio-oils.
The biocarbons can be used in many ways: as activated, feed and barbecue charcoal, as a soil conditioner and fertilizer, called “Terra Preta”. In addition, it can be used as a plastic substitute for packaging, technology or as a building material. The plastic production is even cheaper than with conventional processes, says founder Becker.
Carbonauten is currently building the first production facility in Eberswalde, Brandenburg. The first burners and heat exchangers arrived at the end of November 2021, and from spring 2022, 6,000 tons of biocarbon are to be produced here from regional biomass residues per year. In addition, 108 tons of green hydrogen are produced.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
One ton of Carbonauten biocarbon permanently stores up to 3.3 tons of CO2. For comparison: In 2019, an inhabitant of Germany produced an average of around eight tons of CO2 – worldwide it was 4.7 tons per capita.
Carbonauten plans many decentralized systems with a regional focus
The plant in Eberswalde is being built in an old steelworks that had to file for bankruptcy. Founder Torsten Becker also wants to take on some of the company’s employees: “The social impact is important to us, we are very happy to be able to employ these people there.”
Carbonaut founder Torsten Becker
Carbonauten wants to grow, but not bundle production too much. “Our idea is to build and operate medium-sized, decentralized plants – you can already find enough biomass within a radius of 50 kilometers,” says Becker. For example, wood waste from cities and municipalities, which then no longer has to be incinerated or disposed of in some other way.
“This means that there are fewer emissions during transport – and in the best-case scenario, the heat generated during the process can still be used industrially or as district heating,” explains Becker.
The decentralized approach makes it easier for the company to expand internationally. According to Becker, the investment for a location is between three and five million euros.
Industry is also showing interest: The Huehoco Group from Wuppertal has acquired a five percent stake in Carbonauten. According to Torsten Becker, the start-up is currently negotiating with other interested parties from Germany and Japan.
Before founding Carbonauten, Becker was a product designer and worked in industry for many years. He was shaped by his holistic view of the world: “As a product designer, you are also responsible for the origin of the products, how they are processed – and where they end up.” This approach is not always easy to implement. “But it’s a lot of fun,” says Becker.
In 2013 Becker met his co-founder. Christoph Hiemann previously worked in the energy sector and had already worked on a carbonation plant. However, Hiemann was not satisfied with that, which is why the two have been working together on the development ever since.
The German bureaucracy is slowing down
But the bureaucracy and the behavior of investors in Germany cause problems for carbonauts. According to Becker, high bureaucratic requirements for the production sites of the CO2-negative materials slowed down the process.
“Of course everyone wants to save the world, but the authority is closed at 4 p.m..” An approval process sometimes takes two years. The effort involved in meeting all the requirements costs the company almost as much as the carbonation system itself. The reasons for the sensitive requirements are understandable. “But none of that helps us to do it quickly. The world is on fire, we want to do something about it – and are prevented from doing so,” complained Becker.
In addition, the company had financing difficulties at the beginning. The project had to be presented to investors hundreds of times – without success for a long time.
German investors don’t like to take risks, so Becker said his business would take longer. “We are primarily interested in strategic investors,” says Becker. There are now three of them, and the company value is currently 193 million euros. The company is not interested in pure venture capital.
According to Becker, it is therefore conceivable that the expansion should be based primarily outside of Germany, for example in Canada. There are large amounts of biomass from industry that is currently rotting unprocessed and generating harmful greenhouse gases.
Production facilities are also planned in South America, Asia and Africa, and by 2030 Becker wants to operate up to 200 locations worldwide with the Carbonauts. “We want to help, especially in Africa, to avoid the small farmers who are important for local food production having to flee to the cities – there must be an alternative to the slums in the cities.” support the infrastructure with the income from the locations.
“I have five children, that’s my biggest motivation,” says Becker. “As an adult, you have to be ashamed of what we’ve made of the planet.”
More: Six-point plan for low energy prices – This is how NRW Minister Pinkwart puts pressure on Berlin