Photo: CBC News
The head of a lumber company in Elmsdale, Nova Scotia, is hoping a proposed expansion will lead to a new market for wood chips.
Elmsdale Lumber wants to rezone some of its property to make way for the construction of a biochar facility.
The process uses wood chips to create a type of organic charcoal using a process called pyrolysis, or heating the chips at extreme temperatures without oxygen.
“This technology from Europe came to us, we listened to a presentation and our team kind of looked at each other and said, ‘Well, why would we not look into this,'” company president Robin Wilber said in a recent interview.
Biochar has been shown to attract and hold on to moisture and nutrients in soil, meaning crops can be grown with less water and fertilizer. It also has the ability to neutralize soil acidity and remove heavy metals, making it an attractive product for agriculture and remediation work.
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