Climate Insider Brief:
- Applied Carbon raised $21.5 million in a Series A funding round led by TO VC, with contributions from various investors.
- The funds will be used to deploy biochar production machines across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
- Applied Carbon’s technology converts agricultural crop waste into biochar using a mobile, in-field system.
Applied Carbon, a technology company specialising in automated biochar production machines, announced today that it has raised $21.5 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by TO VC, with participation from Congruent Ventures, Grantham Foundation, Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, S2G Ventures, Overture.vc, Wireframe Ventures, Autodesk Foundation, Anglo American, Susquehanna Foundation, US Endowment for Forestry and Communities, TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, and Elemental Excelerator. The funds will be used to deploy a fleet of biochar machines across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, providing significant carbon removal and agricultural services.
Applied Carbon, previously known as Climate Robotics, has developed a mobile, in-field solution that collects agricultural crop residue post-harvest and converts it into biochar. This biochar is then deposited back onto the fields, improving soil health, increasing productivity, reducing lime and fertilizer needs, and offering a durable carbon storage solution.
“Multiple independent studies indicate that converting crop waste into biochar has the potential to remove gigatons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, while creating trillions of dollars in value for the world’s farmers,” said Jason Aramburu, co-founder and CEO of Applied Carbon. “However, there is no commercially available technology to convert these wastes at low cost. Applied Carbon’s patented in-field biochar production system is the first solution that can convert crop waste into biochar at a scale and a cost that makes sense for broad acre farming.”
The technology employs a high-tech, self-contained trailer that collects crop residue, processes it into biochar through high-temperature pyrolysis, and quenches it with water, adding nutrients and microbes as needed. The biochar is then spread directly onto the fields, eliminating the need for bulk material transport and reducing costs.
“We’ve been looking at the biochar sector for over a decade and Applied Carbon’s in-field proposition is incredibly compelling,” said Joshua Posamentier, co-founder and managing partner of Congruent Ventures. “The two most exciting things about this approach are that it profitably swings the agricultural sector from carbon positive to carbon negative and that it can get to world-scale impact, on a meaningful timeline, while saving farmers money.”
The biochar produced by Applied Carbon’s technology represents a significant carbon removal opportunity. Research shows that carbon removed via biochar is one of the safest and most permanent atmospheric carbon removal methods available. In 2023, over 90% of durable carbon removal sold to commercial buyers came from biochar, a trend that is expected to continue. Applied Carbon’s biochar technology, combined with its precision automation and data monitoring system, offers best-in-class carbon removal monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV), which are crucial for transparent engagement with large-scale carbon removal buyers.
“Up to one-third of excess CO2 that has accumulated in the atmosphere since the start of human civilization has come from humans disturbing soil through agriculture,” said Joshua Phitoussi, co-founder and managing partner at TO VC. “To reach our net-zero objectives, we need to put that carbon back where it belongs. Biochar is unique in its potential to do so at a permanence and price point that are conducive to mass-scale adoption of carbon dioxide removal solutions, while also leaving farmers and consumers better off thanks to better soil health and nutrition. Thanks to its technology and business model, Applied Carbon is the only company that turns that potential into reality.”
In June, Applied Carbon rebranded from Climate Robotics to better align with its operational motivation. The company was named a top-20 global finalist in the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition and a semifinalist in the Department of Energy’s CO2 Removal Purchase Pilot Prize.
About Applied Carbon Applied Carbon scales groundbreaking technologies that regenerate soils and sequester atmospheric carbon for the betterment of people and the planet. Developed by a team of earth scientists, roboticists, AI researchers, agriculturalists, and industrial manufacturing experts, the company’s mobile technology leverages natural thermal processes and precision automation to convert field wastes into stable carbon that builds soil health and stays out of the atmosphere permanently. For more information, visit www.appliedcarbon.com.
About TO VC TO VC backs vital teams tackling the world’s most pressing challenges. As an early-stage decarbonization venture capital fund, TO VC invests in groundbreaking climate tech companies focused on transforming food systems, energy systems, and pioneering carbon removal solutions. TO VC believes these areas are key to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and restoring harmony between humanity and the planet. Discover more at to.vc.
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Media Contact: Chris Allieri [email protected]
SOURCE: Applied Carbon
Featured Image: Credit: Applied Carbon
