The Next 150 Launches General Biochar Systems With Its First Industrial-Scale Plant in Mexico

Pioneering High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal Credits and Waste Valorization across agricultural supply chains in Latam

GENÈVE, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2023 / The Next 150, a Switzerland-based climate venture operator, launched General Biochar Systems (GBS), a fully integrated biochar company, generating high-quality Carbon Dioxide Removal credits (CDRs). The plant was inaugurated on May 31 in Irapuato, Guanajuato, and will start processing farmgate agricultural waste from corn, wheat and sorghum in July 2023.

The Next 150 and their strategic partner, Kemexon, are investing up to $5 million in the development of carbon capture projects. The Guanajuato plant represents the first phase in their waste-valorization and climate-tech commitments in Mexico.

Biochar is produced using GBS's proprietary high-tech pyrolysis process where biomass undergoes high temperatures in a limited oxygen environment, mineralizing its carbon content. Deployment of biochar generates CDRs through long-term storage applications such as sustainable agriculture and construction. Registration and issuance of the credits is expected to take place on Puro.Earth, the world's leading carbon crediting platform for engineered carbon removal, owned by Nasdaq.

The Irapuato plant, established in coordination with the Secretary of the Environment (SMAOT), the Government of the State of Guanajuato and the Irrigation District 011, will benefit 23,000 farmers covering more than 110,000 cultivated hectares. The facility will process up to 20,000 tons of waste per year, converting them into 6,000 tons of biochar and byproducts such as bio-oil and hydrogen. Over the next 10 years, this project will lead to the capture of 150,000 tons of CO2 equivalent and will be the biggest biochar project in Mexico.

During the GBS Irapuato inauguration, Guanajuato State Secretary of the Environment, Maria Isabel Ortiz Mantilla, reiterated that "with companies like GBS, the region thrives on the purpose of migrating from manufacture to mindfacture, as innovation works for society and the environment equally."

GBS's path to scale focuses on aligning interests between stakeholders across the agricultural supply chain. This project sets a benchmark for what can be achieved through a coordinated effort between public agencies, civil societies, and the private sector in the maturing carbon removal industry.

In 2024, General Biochar Systems plans to open three more high-tech biochar plants, advancing carbon technology, generating additional jobs and increasing its social and environmental impact in Mexico and Latin America.

Contact Information

Rafael Gamboa
Director of Communications
rafael@thenext150.com
+52 55 3227 3531

Christian Shehadi
Marketing Director
christian@thenext150.com
+52 55 5414 9851

SOURCE: The Next 150