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The Biogenic Refinery.

A decentralized pyrolysis platform for high-moisture biogenic and organic feedstocks.

The Biogenic Refinery converts manures, biosolids, food residuals, agricultural residues, fibers, and reprocessed chars into pathogen-inactivated biochar, recoverable thermal energy, and an audit-grade operating record. Purpose-built for wet, variable feedstocks that woody-biomass pyrolysis was never designed to handle — and engineered for decentralized deployment. Acceptance is project-specific: a qualified feedstock is material that has passed our acceptance review for a defined project, site, and end use.

Talk to us about your feedstock How we size systems
Fig. 01 — Biogenic Refinery, engineering cutaway view
Engineering cutaway rendering of the Biogenic Refinery
§ 01 Where the Biogenic Refinery fits

Built for operators with wet, variable, expensive-to-handle feedstocks.

The Biogenic Refinery is built for operators managing wet, variable biogenic materials that are expensive to store, haul, dry, treat, or dispose of through conventional infrastructure. Common fit categories:

01

Manure, biosolids, and sanitation solids

Manure solids · biosolids · septage-derived solids · decentralized sanitation.

02

Food, agricultural, and industrial organic residuals

Food-processing residuals · agricultural residues · algae · spent mushroom substrate · industrial organics.

03

Manufactured organic materials with poor end-of-life pathways

Selected fibers · non-wovens · absorbent hygiene products · compostable packaging streams.

04

Char upgrading for durable carbon storage

Reprocessed chars from upstream pyrolysis · gasification · flame-cap kilns · mobile carbonizers · HTC systems.

The system is not a generic wood-biomass biochar unit. It is a decentralized resource-recovery platform for difficult feedstocks where volume reduction, heat recovery, pathogen inactivation, carbon documentation, and local deployment all matter.

What operators are really buying

Not biochar alone. The combined effect.

The value is the combined effect of reducing wet-material volume, recovering heat, avoiding long-haul disposal, producing a usable carbon-rich solid, and creating the operating record needed for regulators, offtakers, and carbon-credit verifiers.

Feedstock acceptance is project-specific and depends on moisture, ash, energy value, contaminants, permitting, emissions limits, and intended biochar use.   Browse the full feedstock catalog

§ 02 What it produces

Three value streams from one feedstock pass.

01Biochar

Pathogen-inactivated, nutrient-concentrated

Pathogen-inactivated under sustained high-temperature operation. Phosphorus and potassium from the original feedstock are retained in the biochar rather than washed into soil or water. Significant volume reduction — typically around 90%, and up to 95% depending on feedstock and moisture.

Common end uses

  • Soil amendment with concentrated nutrients
  • Water and air filtration media
  • Construction-material additive
  • Steel and cement-industry feedstock
  • Durable carbon storage under verified methodologies
02Thermal energy

Hot water, forced air, or thermal oil

Right-sized to the customer's downstream process load.

The forced-air option uses an air-to-air heat exchanger: hot post-catalyst exhaust passes through tubes while a variable-speed fan pushes fresh air across them, heating it for downstream use.

Common applications

  • Drying upstream feedstock (closing the energy loop)
  • Facility and building heat
  • Process heat for industrial loads
  • Electricity via Organic Rankine Cycle
  • Purchased-energy displacement
03Operating record

Audit-grade data, framework-ready

Real-time operating parameters, event logs, and exception alerts captured by the KELV°N® data platform in an audit-grade format. One operating record supports certification, disclosure, and regulatory reporting across multiple frameworks.

Supports

  • Carbon-removal certification (CRCF, EBC, Puro.earth, Verra, CAR)
  • Corporate sustainability disclosure (CSRD/ESRS, SBTi)
  • State, federal, and international regulatory reporting
  • Recertification audits and ongoing monitoring
§ 03 How it works

Three physical subsystems. One data layer across them.

At a high level, the Biogenic Refinery integrates three physical subsystems that handle the feedstock, and one data layer — KELV°N — that records the operation across all three.

01 · Physical

Carbonizer

Converts prepared feedstock into biochar in an oxygen-limited environment. Unlike incineration (open combustion in air, which releases carbon as CO₂), pyrolysis retains carbon in solid biochar.

02 · Physical

Pollution-control assembly

Controls emissions from the volatile gases released during pyrolysis and recovers their thermal energy. The result is controlled exhaust from difficult feedstocks that would otherwise create operational and permitting challenges.

03 · Physical

Heat exchanger

Captures useful thermal energy as hot water, forced air, or thermal oil — for drying upstream feedstock, downstream process loads, or optional Organic Rankine Cycle electricity generation.

Data layer · across all three

KELV°N® data platform

Records operating data continuously for maintenance, regulatory reporting, and carbon documentation. Threaded through all three physical subsystems rather than added on top.

Explore KELV°N →
How we size systems KELV°N data platform
Fig. 02 — Flow diagram Feedstock in. Three integrated subsystems. Three value streams out.
INPUT Wet biogenic feedstock Manures · biosolids food · ag residues reprocessed chars THREE INTEGRATED SUBSYSTEMS 01 · PHYSICAL Carbonizer Oxygen-limited pyrolysis 02 · PHYSICAL Pollution-control assembly Cyclonic + catalytic 03 · PHYSICAL Heat exchanger Hot water · forced air thermal oil · ORC DATA LAYER · ACROSS ALL THREE KELV°N® data platform Operating record · maintenance · reporting · carbon documentation OUTPUT Biochar Thermal energy Operating record
§ 04 The four model lines

Four standard configurations. One platform.

The Biogenic Refinery ships in four standard configurations. The four differ in heat-exchanger output and pot architecture. What they share — and what defines the platform — is the same controls architecture, the same KELV°N° data spine, the same emissions treatment, and the same operator-facing interface. Sizing for a specific project follows the energy-balance method described on How We Size →.

209
200,000 BTU/hr
58.6 kW HX output
Architecture
3/4 pot · 12″ × 12″ × 16″
Heat exchange
Forced-air or hydronic

Smallest configuration in the line. The 3/4 pot reduces minimum throughput, useful when feedstock volume is below what a full pot can sustain. Suited to projects with modest thermal-recovery needs and operator-attended schedules at compact site footprints.

4018
400,000 BTU/hr
117.2 kW HX output
Architecture
Single full pot · 16″ × 16″ × 16″
Heat exchange
Forced-air or hydronic

The most common installed configuration. Single full pot sized for the broad middle of the application range. Most projects evaluated against this output range come in here.

600
600,000 BTU/hr
175.8 kW HX output
Architecture
Twin pot
Heat exchange
Forced-air or hydronic

Twin-pot configuration. The two pots run together for higher continuous output, or stagger to extend the effective operating window without committing to continuous-duty hardware. Useful where batch flexibility matters.

99
990,000 BTU/hr
290.2 kW HX output
Architecture
Four pot · continuous duty
Heat exchange
Hydronic only

Largest single-unit configuration. Four-pot continuous-duty design intended for sustained 24/7 operation. Hydronic only — forced-air becomes mechanically inefficient at this output level. Projects requiring more than ~290 kW typically scale through multi-unit deployment rather than larger single units.

A note on naming

The 209 came from a 20 lbs/hr nominal throughput target; the 4018 from 40 lbs/hr on a dry basis. As we moved to energy-balance sizing, BTU output became the more honest spec — hence the 600 (600,000 BTU/hr) and the 99 (990,000 BTU/hr). Designations may evolve as the platform improves. The four configurations above are the current standard line; non-standard configurations have been built where the project required it.

§ 05 How it gets deployed

One platform. Three deployment configurations.

The Biogenic Refinery integrates into a standard transportable shipping container with utility connections, feedstock handling, and safety systems pre-engineered. Site preparation is conventional civil and electrical work; commissioning is measured in days, not months.

01

Indoor / industrial installation

For municipal, food processing, industrial, or controlled indoor sites. Includes hydronic configurations with insulated process loops and buffer tanks.

02

Outdoor / remote enclosure

For agricultural, dairy, remote community, and cold-climate sites. Weatherproof enclosure, stack, ash door, and weather-rated service access.

03

Integrated heat and power options

CHP (combined heat and power), Organic Rankine Cycle electricity, hydronic heat recovery, and multi-unit deployment available as project-specific configurations.

Field-verified ambient temperature
−40°
−40 °C / −40 °F

Cold-climate variant

Engineered for the sites centralized infrastructure can't reach.

The cold-climate variant has been tested in field operation down to ambient temperatures of −40 °C / −40 °F. Many thermal-treatment systems are not designed for sustained sub-freezing or remote deployment. The Biogenic Refinery is built for those conditions and can operate off-grid using recovered thermal energy.

Designed service life
10 years +
Multiple deployed systems have completed the full design cycle and remain operational.
Controls certification
UL 61010-1
Safety and control systems certified to the international standard for measurement and laboratory equipment.
Patent coverage
21 + 5 pending
Issued patents across the US, EU, UK, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Canada, and Australia.
§ 06 Common questions

What buyers usually ask first.

What is the Biogenic Refinery?
A decentralized pyrolysis platform purpose-built for high-moisture, variable biogenic and organic feedstocks. It integrates a carbonizer, a combined cyclonic-and-catalytic pollution-control assembly, a right-sized heat exchanger, and the KELV°N data platform into one containerized system — producing pathogen-inactivated biochar, recoverable thermal energy, and an audit-grade operating record.
How is pyrolysis different from incineration?
Incineration burns material in open air, releasing the carbon as CO₂. Pyrolysis applies heat in an oxygen-limited environment so carbon is retained in solid biochar. The Biogenic Refinery operates as a pyrolysis system — the carbon stays in the product, supporting carbon-removal accounting that incineration cannot.
What outputs does it produce?
Three: pathogen-inactivated biochar, recoverable thermal energy sized to the customer's process load, and an audit-grade operating record captured by KELV°N. Volume reduction is typically around 90% and can reach up to 95%, depending on feedstock and moisture.
What feedstocks is it built for?
Wet, variable biogenic and organic materials — manures, biosolids, septage-derived solids, food-processing residuals, agricultural residues, algae, selected fibers and non-wovens, absorbent hygiene products, compostable packaging, and reprocessed chars from upstream thermal systems. Each new feedstock is characterized for moisture, ash, halogens, metals, and emissions implications before sizing. Browse the full feedstock catalog →
How is it deployed?
As a containerized, transportable system in three primary configurations: indoor or industrial installation, outdoor or remote enclosure, and integrated heat-and-power options (CHP, ORC, multi-unit). The same platform is field-verified at ambient temperatures down to −40 °C / −40 °F and operates off-grid where centralized infrastructure is unavailable.
What information do you need to size a project?
Useful inputs include feedstock composition, moisture range, daily volume, site conditions (climate, available footprint, utility connections), target outputs (biochar end-use, thermal load, optional electricity), and any regulatory framework you're aligning to (CRCF, EPR, ISO 31800, others). See How we size → for the full input checklist.

More questions on the full FAQ page

Talk to us about your feedstock.

Send us a feedstock summary — composition, moisture range, daily volume, site conditions — and we will return a sizing model, not a price list.

How we size Browse the field record Carbon removal frameworks
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