Four PYREG PX 1500 systems form the tech­nical basis of the largest Carbon Removal Park of the German climate tech start-up Novocarbo

The German climate tech company Novo­carbo has announced the kick-off for its largest Carbon Removal Park (CDR-Park) in Germany to date. The latest site of the Hamburg-based start-up, which uses the PYREG net-zero tech­no­logy to remove CO₂ from the atmo­sphere, produce biochar, and gene­rate rene­wable energy, is being built in Bochum in colla­bo­ra­tion with the muni­cipal utility of the city. Stadt­werke Bochum is the first muni­cipal utility in a major German city to use climate-neutral heat from biochar produc­tion to make its district heating network greener. This is already the second carbon removal park that Novo­carbo is going to open in Germany on the basis of the PYREG carbo­niza­tion technology.

Climate-neutral heat for 26,000 households

Stadt­werke Bochum will source rege­ne­ra­tive heat from the Carbon Removal Park Bochum all year round, thereby making the district heating supply in Bochum with curr­ently around 26,000 connected house­holds greener. “We very much welcome Novocarbo’s invol­vement in Bochum and are happy to support inno­va­tive, pionee­ring compa­nies and tech­no­lo­gies as part of our part­ner­ships. Novo­carbo offers us the oppor­tu­nity to broaden our heat gene­ra­tion port­folio and make it greener. The surplus energy gene­rated in the pyro­lysis process is fed directly into our district heating network. The project is ther­e­fore an important buil­ding block for the decar­bo­ni­sa­tion of district heating in Bochum,” explains Elke Temme, Mana­ging Director of Stadt­werke Bochum Holding GmbH.

Four PYREG plants form tech­nical basis of Carbon Removal Park

The Carbon Removal Park in Bochum will be built from the end of 2024 on a site belon­ging to USB Bochum GmbH (USB) in Mark­straße. By using four PX1500 pyro­lysis plants from PYREG, around 6,000 tonnes of CO₂ will be removed from the atmo­sphere, 15,000 MWh of climate-neutral heat will be gene­rated, and 3,300 tonnes of biochar will be produced on an area of 4,500 m² from mid-2025. Novo­carbo is inves­ting around 14 million euros in the new site in Bochum. The start-up plans to open around 200 Carbon Removal Parks by 2033.

Caspar von Ziegner, CEO Novo­carbo: “Our goal is to acce­le­rate the economy‘s tran­si­tion to Net Zero and to support compa­nies in decar­bo­ni­sing with our green heat solu­tion. Toge­ther with Stadt­werke Bochum, we can make a valuable contri­bu­tion to climate neutra­lity in Germany in one of its most densely popu­lated metro­po­litan regions.”