How Pyrolysis and Waste Biomass Tackle Methane and Carbon | Carba

About this episode

Andrew Jones discusses how Carba is transforming biomass waste into carbon sinks through decentralized pyrolysis and biochar.

Biomass waste is one of the largest unmanaged carbon flows , yet most climate solutions ignore it. This founder is turning landfills into carbon sinks using decentralized pyrolysis and biochar . Andrew Jones is the founder and CEO of Carba , a waste-to-value company converting biomass into permanent carbon removal. He studied catalytic fast pyrolysis and earned a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Carba builds modular, decentralized systems that process biomass waste near aggregation points, producing biochar for landfill burial, methane reduction, and potential industrial uses. Here’s what we discussed: Site strategy that actually works – Targeting 10k–100k ton/year biomass hubs co-located with landfills to eliminate transport cost and preserve unit economics Landfill use case, not theory – Biochar used as daily cover to (1) store carbon underground, (2) stimulate methanotrophs that oxidize methane, and (3) adsorb PFAS and other contaminants Reactor advantage – Custom molten-salt pyrolysis system vs rotary kilns, enabling tighter temperature control, higher carbon yield, and more consistent biochar quality at throughput Carbon permanence bet…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Chris Wedding

Guest: Andrew Jones

Topics covered

• biomass waste
• carbon removal
• pyrolysis
• biochar
• landfill management
• methane reduction

Keywords

• biomass
• carbon sinks
• decentralized systems
• methane
• landfills
• catalytic fast pyrolysis
• carbon permanence

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Carba, University of California, Berkeley

Products: biochar, pyrolysis, carbon credits, PFAS

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