A clean-technology company is looking at being a tenant at the Domtar Mill in Espanola.
According to BMI, CHAR Technologies is considering setting up shop to produce renewable natural gas and a bio-coal product made from residual wood waste at the former Espanola pulp and paper mill.
Biochar is a carbon-rich material made by heating wood waste in a low-oxygen environment.
In northern Ontario, where there is a sustainable supply of forest biomass, biochar production can generate renewable energy right on site.
The process creates surplus energy, like steam and pyrolysis oil, that can be reused to power local industries, cutting energy costs and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
Biochar can replace coal in energy-intensive processes like steel production, slashing greenhouse gas emissions, producing leaner energy for industries while creating jobs and using waste that would otherwise sit unused.
Biochar locks carbon in the ground for centuries, helping Canada meet its net-zero goals.
The Espanola plant alone could sequester thousands of tonnes of carbon each year, starting with 10,000 tonnes annually and tripling by 2026, making it North America’s largest biochar facility.
The company adds that as a renewable energy production facility at the mill site, it will be called Bioveld North.
BMI is completing the purchase of the property from Domtar, which closed the mill in 2023, with the deal expected to close later this month.
