Charm Industrial

Charm Industrial converts biomass residues (for example, corn stovers) into bio-oil by heating the biomass quickly to very high temperatures. Charm uses woody or cellulosic residues in their pyrolysis and ensures that any emissions associated with growth or harvesting of this biomass are accounted for. This means waste biomass that would have otherwise decomposed is a preferred feedstock. The resulting bio-oil is low in energy content, but high in carbon content, and can be injected underground into geological storage reservoirs such as depleted oil & gas reservoirs, saline aquifers and salt caverns regulated by the US EPA. It is a highly viscous liquid which is denser than the surrounding formation fluid, and so will sink in the reservoir and risk of buoyancy/upward migration is low. The bio-oil polymerizes (solidifies) on an expected timescale between 2–20 years, rendering it effectively immobile within the subsurface and therefore durable on geological timescales.

Charm’s removals, the associated calculations and life cycle analysis have all been reviewed by Isometric. A new protocol, in development by Isometric and 350Solutions, will build on the prototype bio-oil sequestration protocol and will be used for full verification of deliveries in future.