What Aymium does

Aymium is a U.S.-based cleantech company that produces renewable biocarbon and biohydrogen products through a proprietary combustion-free thermochemical process (thermolysis/pyrolysis) applied to sustainably sourced recovered biomass. The process separates biomass into biocarbon, biohydrogen, and water while generating self-produced renewable energy and recycling water internally. Operating as legal entity National Carbon Technologies LLC and headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota with operations in Gwinn, Michigan, Aymium runs four production facilities across North America and has additional sites under construction in Williams, California and through joint ventures in Mississippi and Québec. The company sells five core product lines: metallurgical carbon (steel and metals drop-in for coal/coke), bioenergy carbon (drop-in coal replacement for power generation), activated carbon (municipal and industrial water/air purification), agricultural carbon (soil amendment and fertilizer carrier), and biohydrogen (renewable hydrogen for fuels). The technology is backed by 500+ issued and pending patents globally, with founder and CEO James Mennell individually holding over 100 patents.

Aymium's business model is direct enterprise B2B sales of physical commodity-grade products to large industrial customers, with quote-based pricing and long-term supply agreements rather than disclosed public pricing. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting steel manufacturers, power generators, silicon producers (WACKER), and municipalities for water treatment (75+ cities in North America purifying drinking water for over 20 million people). Revenue streams are characterized as one-time license/sales of biocarbon and biohydrogen products serving as drop-in replacements that require no capital modifications to existing customer infrastructure. The company is privately held and has raised over $410 million in disclosed financing across 2022-2025 (strategic round, $50M debt from Fortress/Kilonova, $210M project financing, $150M Bedrock Industries), with an additional $500 million MOU signed with Hanwa Co. Ltd. in March 2026 for a California export facility.

Strategic positioning centers on industrial decarbonization: the company's metallurgical carbon achieves 4.13 tons net CO2 reduction per ton of steel (vs. 2.03 tons released using traditional metallurgical coal), and its activated carbon produces less than 10% of the air emissions of coal-based alternatives. Anchor commercial relationships include Steel Dynamics (launched BIOEDGE and EDGE lower-embodied-carbon steel products in October 2025), Rio Tinto (biocarbon joint venture in Québec), Weyerhaeuser (TerraForge joint venture targeting 1.5 million tons annually), and Hanwa (planned California export facility). The company has explicitly defeated a competitor (Stora Enso) at the European Patent Office Boards of Appeal in April 2025, reinforcing its intellectual property position.

Name

Aymium

Legal name

National Carbon Technologies LLC

Website

https://aymium.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Aymium produces renewable biocarbon and biohydrogen via proprietary combustion-free thermochemical processing of biomass, selling drop-in replacements for coal and coke to enterprise customers in steel, power generation, water purification, and agriculture across four North American production facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Biocarbon and Biohydrogen

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), Basic Chemical Manufacturing (3251), Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512), Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Bio-based Carbon Products & Advanced Bioproducts (Biochar, activated carbon, carbon black alternatives) (EUAAAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biochar, Activated Carbon & Soil Amendments (from forest biomass) (IMAMALAH), Gasification & Pyrolysis-to-Power (Waste/Biomass Advanced Thermal) (EUACAIAL), Cellulosic Biofuels & Renewable Fuels (2G ethanol, SAF intermediates) (IMAMALAA)

Keywords

• Renewable biocarbon products
• Biohydrogen production
• Biomass thermochemical conversion
• Coal replacement fuel
• Carbon-negative industrial inputs

Headquarters

HQ city

Gwinn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Biocarbon Product Sales: Sale of renewable biocarbon products including metallurgical carbon, bioenergy carbon, activated carbon, and agricultural carbon to industrial customers. Products serve as drop-in replacements for coal and traditional carbon sources.
2. Biohydrogen Sales: Production and sale of renewable, carbon-negative biohydrogen as an alternative to conventional hydrogen production technologies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aymium produces renewable, carbon-negative biocarbon and biohydrogen products through a patented combustion-free thermochemical (thermolysis/pyrolysis) process that converts sustainably sourced biomass into high-purity inputs. Its portfolio includes Metallurgical Carbon, Bioenergy Carbon, Activated Carbon, Agricultural Carbon, and Biohydrogen, engineered as drop-in replacements for coal and fossil-fuel inputs in steelmaking, power generation, water/air purification, agriculture, and silicon production without requiring capital modifications.

Product overview

Aymium is a cleantech company that produces high-value biocarbon and biohydrogen products. The company's product portfolio consists of five core bioproduct lines: Metallurgical Carbon (for steel production), Bioenergy Carbon (for power generation/coal replacement), Activated Carbon (for water and air filtration), Agricultural Carbon (for crop production), and Biohydrogen (for sustainable fuels). All products are produced using a proprietary combustion-free thermochemical process that converts sustainably sourced biomass into renewable, carbon-negative bioproducts that serve as drop-in replacements for traditional fossil fuels without requiring capital modifications to existing equipment or processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Metallurgical Carbon Engineered biocarbon product designed to replace traditional coal-based carbon sources in steel and other metals production. Made from sustainably sourced recovered biomass, it is carbon-negative and produces higher-quality steel with reduced impurities such as sulfur, requiring no capital modifications for immediate use.
• Bioenergy Carbon Renewable and carbon-negative biocarbon with equivalent energy values and combustion profiles to coal, designed for immediate use in coal-fired facilities with no capital modifications. Significantly reduces carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury emissions.
• Activated Carbon Organic, renewable activated carbon with greater purity and superior performance compared to coal-based alternatives for water and air purification. Production results in less than 10% of the air emissions of traditional activated carbons and creates no wastewater.
• Agricultural Carbon Engineered carbon product with highly developed pore structure, high surface area, and high cation exchange capacity. Holds nutrients and retains moisture in crop production, resulting in increased yields, decreased input costs, reduced water use, and minimized runoff.
• Biohydrogen Renewable, carbon-negative hydrogen produced without fossil fuels, featuring the lowest carbon intensity of any hydrogen production technology. Less expensive to produce than commercially available hydrogen production technologies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.13 tons net CO2 reduction per ton of steel produced (vs 2.03 tons CO2 released using traditional metallurgical coal)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Hanwa Co. Ltd.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026Memorandum of understanding signed to construct a biocarbon and biohydrogen facility in California, US, with value exceeding $500 million. Plant aims to produce renewable biocarbon and biohydrogen for export, potentially replacing metallurgical coal in steelmaking, with operations starting in 2027.
• WeyerhaeuserflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025Partnership and joint venture to produce and sell 1.5 million tons of sustainable biocarbon annually for metals production. Initial facility will be built in Mississippi with plans for multiple new facilities over five years. Weyerhaeuser specializes in wood products, forestry, and related activities.
• WACKERcoreOthers · 10 March 2025WACKER uses Aymium's biogenic carbon to replace fossil coal in silicon production.
• Rio TintocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2023Rio Tinto partnered with Aymium to trial renewable biocarbon product and established a biocarbon joint venture in Quebec for decarbonization of metals production.
• Steel DynamicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2022Strategic partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in steel production. Steel Dynamics announced location of planned biocarbon production operations and launched BIOEDGE and EDGE lower-embodied-carbon steel products using Aymium's biocarbon.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stora Enso: Global pulp-and-paper and biomaterials major with a growing line of bio-based carbon products (e.g., lignin-based carbon, biochar). Direct competitor to Aymium in biocarbon for metallurgy and energy, and identified as a primary IP challenger in Aymium's 2025 EPO win.
• LanzaTech: Carbon capture and conversion company producing low-carbon fuels and chemicals from waste gases, including renewable ethanol and projected biohydrogen pathways. Comparable as a gas-to-product biotech addressing industrial decarbonization with similar drop-in product positioning.
• Cool Planet (now part of Actagro/Biofiltro): Historical peer in biomass pyrolysis for biocarbon and biochar production. Mentioned as prior employer of Aymium's VP of Thermal Engineering, indicating direct technology overlap and similar conversion processes.

Emerging players

• Charm Industrial: Biomass-to-biochar and bio-oil company using pyrolysis-based thermochemical conversion for carbon removal. Overlaps with Aymium on biocarbon production technology and serves adjacent industrial offtake customers.
• CarbonScape: New Zealand-based developer of biomass-to-graphite and biocarbon technology via microwave pyrolysis. Early-stage competitor pursuing similar wood-waste-to-carbon conversion with focus on battery and metallurgy applications.
• Infinium (formerly Greyrock Energy): Producer of low-carbon hydrogen, e-fuels, and synthetic chemicals from waste carbon streams and renewable power. Comparable as an emerging player in renewable hydrogen, adjacent to Aymium's biohydrogen product line.

Broad incumbents

• SunCoke Energy: Dominant U.S. producer of metallurgical coke for steel industry. Provides incumbent baseline that Aymium's biocarbon aims to displace; also listed as prior employer of Aymium's VP of Major Capital Projects, signaling deep industry knowledge transfer.
• Cabot Corporation: Global specialty chemicals and performance materials producer, including activated carbon and carbon black products. Comparable as a broad incumbent in carbon-based materials serving water purification, rubber, and industrial customers.
• Calgon Carbon (Kuraray): Leading global activated carbon producer for water and air purification, now owned by Kuraray. Direct incumbent in Aymium's activated carbon segment, where Aymium claims superior purity and 90% lower emissions versus coal-based activated carbon.
• Birla Carbon: World's largest carbon black manufacturer, serving rubber, plastics, and specialty applications. Comparable as a broad incumbent producing carbon-based industrial inputs at global scale, including metallurgy-adjacent specialty carbons.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aymium