NetZero Launches New Biochar Plant in Brazil

NetZero, a pioneering French start-up in the industrial production of biochar in tropical regions, is entering a significant acceleration phase in Brazil with the inauguration of its third biochar factory in Brejetuba, Espírito Santo. This facility, NetZero's second in Brazil, is strategically situated less than 40 kilometers from its first site, which began operations in mid-2023. The new factory benefits from its proximity to Coocafé, a regional cooperative of over 10,000 coffee growers, with 250 farmers supplying the necessary biomass.

The plant is set to produce 4,000 tonnes of biochar annually from coffee husks, effectively removing over 6,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent from the atmosphere and providing a sustainable solution for enhancing soil fertility.

NetZero’s innovative model focuses on producing biochar locally and in a circular manner, at an industrial scale, in tropical regions where unused biomass is plentiful and biochar is highly effective in improving soil quality. This approach addresses three critical challenges: combating climate change by sequestering carbon in soils for millennia, promoting sustainable agriculture by enhancing soil quality and yields while reducing fertilizer dependency, and driving social impact by elevating farmers' living standards and creating industrial jobs in rural areas of developing countries.

In conjunction with the inauguration, NetZero announced plans for a new site in Minas Gerais, with construction commencing in a few weeks. This expansion underscores the high replicability of NetZero's industrial model and its capacity to unify stakeholders across the biochar value chain, from biomass suppliers to leading industrial and financial entities.

These developments follow NetZero’s recent selection as the sole French finalist among the 20 contenders in the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, funded by the Musk Foundation with a $100 million prize aimed at advancing carbon removal technologies. Earlier this year, NetZero secured €18 million in funding from STOA, a French infrastructure fund supported by the French sovereign fund (Caisse des Dépôts) and the French Development Agency (AFD).

Axel Reinaud, Co-founder and CEO of NetZero highlighted the significance of their third factory as a milestone in the company's evolution. This factory marks the end of their sequential building approach, with plans to construct multiple factories annually moving forward. It also aligns with their strategy of establishing regional hubs to enhance operational synergies by clustering factories. Additionally, the high social acceptance of their model is evidenced by the tangible benefits it provides to local communities, particularly in agriculture and employment.

NetZero was established in 2021 by Axel Reinaud, Dr. Jean Jouzel, Aimé Njiakin, Olivier Reinaud, and Pedro de Figueiredo. The company's mission is to scale up the production of biochar, one of the rare climate solutions capable of permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere. Additionally, biochar is among the few agricultural innovations that harmonize productivity with sustainability, addressing critical environmental and agricultural challenges.