Environmental solutions startup Applied Carbon, whose technology converts in-field agricultural crop waste into biochar, announced today that it has raised $21.5 million in a Series A funding round, with proceeds aimed at deploying a fleet of biochar machines across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

Biochar, or biological charcoal, is produced by heating biomass, such as forest residue, wood or crop waste, in the absence of oxygen, creating a stable form of carbon, which when buried in soil, enables centuries-long carbon sequestration and improves soil fertility.

Founded in 2020, Applied Carbon provides technology aimed at enabling soil regeneration and carbon sequestration. The company has designed a high-tech trailer that can be pulled behind a tractor, which collects crop residue, processes it into biochar via high temperature pyrolysis, then quenches it with water and supplements it with nutrients and microbes as desired by the farmer. The final biochar product exits the machine and is spread directly onto the field. The technology eliminates bulk transport of either biomass or the finished biochar, as well as the need for a dedicated facility, reducing emissions and drastically reducing its cost per ton. The machine can also operate in an efficient edge-of-field configuration for added flexibility to address diverse crop wastes all year long.

Jason Aramburu, Co-founder and CEO of Applied Carbon, said:

“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. 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.”

Formerly known as Climate Robotics, Applied Carbon rebranded in June to better align with the operational motivation of the company.

The funding round was led by climate technology-focused venture investor 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.

Joshua Phitoussi, Co-founder and Managing Partner at TO VC, said:

“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. 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.”