Specialty Carbon

Biocarbon for Adsorbent & Activated Carbon Applications

A renewable, naturally porous material for adsorbent and filtration applications, from general contaminant capture to activated-carbon-grade performance, engineered and lab tested to your specification.

Element Biocarbon adsorbent and activated carbon material
Naturally PorousACTIVATED TO YOUR SPEC
Biogenic CarbonRENEWABLE, NOT COAL-DERIVED
Lab TestedVERIFIED AGAINST YOUR APPLICATION
Domestic SupplySOURCED FROM U.S. FORESTS & FARMS
The Opportunity

Adsorbents Still Run on Coal

Adsorbent materials show up everywhere, from municipal water treatment and industrial air filtration to spill cleanup, odor control, and general contaminant capture. At the high-performance end of that range sits activated carbon, and coal remains its dominant feedstock, roughly half of activated carbon produced worldwide, with production estimated to emit roughly 9.5 to 18 tons of CO2 per ton produced. Biocarbon offers a renewable, domestically sourced alternative across this whole range, naturally high in porosity for general adsorbent use, with the ability to be activated further to meet strict specifications where higher performance is required.

9.5-18 Tons
of CO2 emitted per ton of coal-based activated carbon produced, per published life-cycle studies.
Why Element

A Renewable Material, Built Alongside Your Application

01

Naturally High in Porosity

Biocarbon starts out naturally high in porosity as a result of the pyrolysis process, well suited to a wide range of adsorbent applications right out of the gate.

02

Activated to Your Specification

Where higher performance is required, it can be activated further to meet strict surface area and activated-carbon-grade specifications.

03

Renewable, Biogenic Sourcing

Made from forestry and agricultural residues rather than coal, reducing dependence on fossil feedstocks.

04

Designed With Your Application

We don’t ship a one-size-fits-all product. Our team works directly with you to optimize biocarbon for your specific process.

How We Get There

Developed Together, Tuned to Your Application

Every application calls for a different set of specifications, so we don’t treat biocarbon as a one-size-fits-all drop-in. We partner with your team to test and refine it for your specific use, whether that’s general contaminant capture, drinking water, industrial wastewater, air purification, or something else.

vs. Coal-Based AC

A Renewable Alternative to Coal

Coal-based activated carbon remains the dominant feedstock worldwide, and producing it is estimated to emit roughly 9.5 to 18 tons of CO2 per ton, largely from the coal itself. Biocarbon starts from a renewable biomass feedstock instead.

Local Sourcing

Onshored, Not Imported

Coconut shell activated carbon is a renewable option, but it’s sourced almost entirely from overseas supply chains. Biocarbon is sourced domestically from U.S. forestry and agricultural residues, keeping your supply onshore and closer to home.

Engineering

From General Adsorbent to Activated Carbon-Grade

Biocarbon starts out with high natural porosity as a result of the pyrolysis process, suited to general adsorbent applications as-is. Where your application calls for activated-carbon-grade performance, it can be activated further to meet strict specifications.

Cutting Carbon at the Source

Coal-based activated carbon production is estimated to emit roughly 9.5 to 18 tons of CO2 per ton produced, largely from processing the coal feedstock itself. Biocarbon starts from a renewable biomass feedstock instead, giving you a lower-carbon material engineered to your application.

A Partial Carbon Sink, With a Caveat

Biocarbon is produced by capturing atmospheric carbon in trees and locking it into a stable solid form through pyrolysis, and that carbon stays sequestered while the material is in service. Once it’s spent, that benefit depends on what happens next, it only holds up if the used material is landfilled. Thermal reactivation and incineration, both common end-of-life paths for spent adsorbent and activated carbon material, can release that carbon back into the atmosphere.

How It’s Made

From America’s Forests to Your System

We’re utilizing America’s forests to source biomass, then engineering it, and activating it further where needed, into a material lab tested for your process.

1

Trees Capture It

As forests grow, trees pull CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it as carbon in wood and biomass.

2

Our Process Engineers It

That biomass is naturally high in porosity, and we activate it further where your application requires it, to meet your specifications.

3

Your System Runs With It

Biocarbon is put to work in your water, air, or industrial system, whether as a general adsorbent or an activated-carbon-grade material, reducing reliance on coal-based material.

Scale

Built to Scale, Anywhere Adsorption Happens

Biocarbon is made from readily available biomass, forestry and agricultural residues found in nearly every region of the world. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the U.S. alone can sustainably supply more than a billion tons of biomass a year. That means supply isn’t the constraint, it can scale to serve applications of any size.

1B+
tons of biomass the U.S. alone can sustainably supply every year, per the U.S. Department of Energy, with similar feedstocks available worldwide.
What We Supply

A Material Formulated to Your Application

We supply engineered biocarbon, activated further where your application calls for it, across adsorbent and activated carbon applications. Your team keeps full control over system design and application.

Formulation

Tailored to Your Specification

Formulated, and activated where needed, to match the adsorption behavior your application needs, tested and adjusted alongside your team.

Reliability

Consistent Supply

Quality-checked from batch to batch, with key performance characteristics verified against your specification.

Lab

Application & Trial Support

Our team works alongside you to test material against your target contaminants and performance requirements.

View our Products page →

FAQ

Common Questions From Application Engineers

What’s the difference between your adsorbent material and activated carbon?

Biocarbon starts out naturally high in porosity, which makes it well suited to general adsorbent applications, contaminant capture, odor control, spill cleanup, and similar uses, without further processing. For applications that need activated-carbon-grade performance, like drinking water treatment or PFAS remediation, we activate it further to meet those strict specifications.

Can biocarbon replace coal-based or coconut shell activated carbon in my system?

Biocarbon starts out naturally high in porosity, and we can activate it further to meet strict specifications for your application. Whether it’s the right fit depends on your requirements, we lab test against your specific use to find out.

Will it perform the same as what I’m using now?

Our team works with yours to test biocarbon and evaluate its performance against your requirements, tuning the material and the activation process along the way.

What applications can biocarbon be used in?

We’re open to any adsorbent or activated carbon application, water treatment, air purification, PFAS remediation, spill cleanup, odor control, industrial process water, and beyond. We work with you to test and tune it for your specific use case.

How does biocarbon compare to coconut shell activated carbon?

Coconut shell activated carbon is a renewable option, but it’s imported from overseas. Biocarbon is sourced domestically from U.S. forestry and agricultural residues, giving you an onshore supply chain.

Does using biocarbon reduce my footprint?

Yes, in a couple of ways. Coal-based activated carbon production is estimated to emit roughly 9.5 to 18 tons of CO2 per ton produced, so biocarbon avoids that fossil emission by starting from a renewable feedstock. Biocarbon itself is also a stable, carbon-rich material, so while it’s in service it holds onto carbon that would otherwise have returned to the atmosphere, though whether that carbon stays locked away long-term depends on how the spent material is handled at end of life.

Can you help us test our application?

Yes. Share your target contaminants and performance specs, and we’ll work with you to design and evaluate trial material.

Let’s Build the Future Together

Talk to our team about a biocarbon material engineered for your application.

Contact Us