What Novocarbo does

Novocarbo GmbH is a Hamburg-based Biochar Carbon Removal (BCR) company founded in 2017 that designs, builds, and operates decentralized Carbon Removal Parks converting biogenic residues into biochar and renewable heat via PYREG PX1500 pyrolysis systems operating at 500–750°C. The company monetizes across four streams: sale of EBC-certified physical biochar products (WoodChar Classic, NutriChar Pellets, ground biochar, and biochar-enhanced construction materials such as concrete, floorscreed, and asphalt), Heat-as-a-Service contracts with municipal utilities that feed climate-neutral heat into district networks, Puro.earth-verified Carbon Removal Certificates sold on voluntary markets including NASDAQ Puro.earth, and from 2025 onward a growing biochar trading operation across Europe. Customers include German municipal utilities (Stadtwerke Grevesmühlen, Dessau, and previously Bochum), carbon-intensive corporates purchasing CDR credits (Bayer, Swiss Re), and construction and agricultural buyers (notably Skanska), served via named account managers for the soil, materials, and renewable energy verticals.

Novocarbo operates two production sites today—Carbon Removal Site Rhine (2018) and Carbon Removal Park Baltic Sea (October 2023, with capacity for 3,200 t CO2 removal, 6,600 MWh of heat, and 1,700 t of biochar annually)—and is developing Carbon Removal Park Dessau with commissioning targeted for January 2028. The company is privately held, with €25 million in growth funding secured from SWEN Capital Partners in March 2024 and Hevella Capital as a long-standing shareholder since 2017. Pricing is quote-based across both product sales and long-term heat-as-a-service contracts, with carbon credit agreements structured around multi-thousand-tonne long-term offtake commitments. Management is led by CEO Caspar von Ziegner (also identified in legal records as Dr. Karl Reinhard Kolmsee / Dr. Karl Kolmsee), supported by CFO Sven Wissebach, COO Benjamin Reinke, and CPO Robert Große-Ahlert, with a team of 35+ employees.

Name

Novocarbo

Legal name

Novocarbo GmbH

Website

https://novocarbo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Novocarbo is a Hamburg-based Biochar Carbon Removal company founded in 2017 that builds and operates decentralized Carbon Removal Parks, converting biogenic residues into EBC-certified biochar, renewable heat, and Puro.earth-verified carbon removal certificates for municipal utilities, corporates, and construction buyers across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biochar Carbon Removal

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117)

akta.pro primary industry

Biochar Production & Soil/Material Applications (EUABAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biochar Carbon Projects (Biomass to Biochar & Soil Application) (EUABABAH), Torrefied Biomass & Biochar Fuel Production (EUAAAJAC), Biochar & Carbon-Based Soil Builders (AFABAKAG), Biochar & Carbon-Based Soil Conditioners (AFABADAD)

Keywords

• Biochar carbon removal
• Pyrolysis technology
• Renewable district heating
• Carbon removal certificates
• Sustainable biochar products

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Carbon Removal Certificates: Trading of certified carbon removal credits on voluntary carbon markets and marketplaces like NASDAQ Puro.earth. Revenue generated from the carbon sink potential of biochar produced. Recently closed three long-term carbon credit agreements with total volume of over 8,000 tonnes of CO2.
2. Biochar Sales: Sale of EBC-certified biochar for various applications including agriculture, construction materials, urban greening, and animal health. Revenue model: one-time product sales with repeat orders from distribution network.
3. Heat-as-a-Service: Novocarbo offers renewable, climate-neutral surplus energy to companies and municipal utilities through heat-as-a-service partnerships. Novocarbo designs heating solutions, builds pyrolysis plants, and continuously operates and feeds heat into existing heating networks as hot water, warm water, or process steam.
4. Biochar Trading: Trading of biochar products sourced from trusted partners. From 2025 onwards, Novocarbo expects to trade significantly more biochar than it manufactures itself, scaling climate impact beyond own production capacity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Novocarbo operates Carbon Removal Parks using pyrolysis technology to convert biogenic residues into biochar, generating renewable heat and Puro.earth-certified carbon removal credits. The company sells physical biochar products (WoodChar Classic, NutriChar Pellets, Ground Biochar, biochar-enhanced concrete/floorscreed/asphalt) for agriculture, construction, and urban greening applications, and offers Heat-as-a-Service partnerships to municipal utilities and industrial customers for renewable heat supply.

Product overview

Novocarbo operates a platform-based business focused on Biochar Carbon Removal (BCR) technology. The core offering consists of Carbon Removal Parks—decentralized pyrolysis facilities that convert biogenic residues into biochar while generating renewable heat. The product portfolio includes physical biochar products (WoodChar Classic Biochar, Biochar NutriChar Pellets, Ground Biochar) and biochar-enhanced construction materials (concrete, floorscreed, asphalt). Associated services include Carbon Removal Certificates (verified via Puro.earth) and Heat-as-a-Service partnerships for municipal and industrial heat supply. The company pursues a goal of 1 gigaton CO₂ sequestration by 2050 through expanding its network of Carbon Removal Parks across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Carbon Removal Park: Decentralized pyrolysis facilities that produce biochar, remove CO₂, and generate renewable heat for district heating networks.

Products and services

• WoodChar Classic Biochar Standard biochar product produced through pyrolysis of biogenic residues at 500–750°C, used as a soil conditioner for agriculture, crop farming, and urban greening applications. EBC-certified.
• Biochar NutriChar Pellets Pelleted biochar product designed for nutrient delivery and agricultural applications such as soil improvement and fertilization.
• Ground Biochar Finely ground biochar powder for industrial and construction applications including asphalt and concrete mixing.
• Biochar Enhanced Concrete Concrete formulations enhanced with biochar as a climate-neutral additive for the construction industry, enabling permanent carbon storage in building materials.
• Biochar Enhanced Floorscreed Floor screed products enhanced with biochar for sustainable construction applications, sequestering carbon within building materials.
• Biochar Enhanced Asphalt Asphalt mixtures enhanced with biochar (3% by weight) for sustainable road construction, enabling permanent carbon storage and improved material durability.
• Carbon Removal Certificates Verified carbon removal credits generated based on CO2 sequestered in biochar, certified via Puro.earth methodology, audited by independent third parties, and traded on the voluntary NASDAQ Puro.earth market. Each tonne of biochar equates to approximately 2.5–2.8 tonnes of CO2 removal.
• Heat-as-a-Service Renewable heat energy generated as a byproduct of the pyrolysis process, offered to companies and municipal utilities through long-term partnerships. Novocarbo designs, builds, and operates pyrolysis plants and continuously feeds heat into existing heating networks as hot water, warm water, or process steam with stable long-term pricing.
• Carbon Removal Parks Decentralized production facilities combining biochar production, renewable heat generation, and carbon removal certification. Locations include Rhine (2018), Baltic Sea (2023), and Dessau (planned commissioning by January 2028). Novocarbo plans to open up to 200 Carbon Removal Parks by 2033.

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Stadtwerke DessaumajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Long-term agreement signed April 2026 to develop Carbon Removal Park Dessau - a biochar and renewable heat facility. Project will convert biogenic residues into biochar and generate renewable heat, with commissioning planned for no later than January 1, 2028.
• University of HamburgminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Research partnership for SUPERCHAR project led by Dr. Maria-Elena Vorrath. Project develops biochar from sewage sludge and chicken manure as phosphorus-potassium fertilizer for agriculture. Novocarbo supports as project partner.
• Stadtwerke BochummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Municipal utility partnership for Carbon Removal Park Bochum - the largest planned CDR Park in Germany. Planned to serve ~26,000 connected households with green district heating. Note: Project subsequently discontinued in January 2026 due to evolving financing conditions and investment requirements.
• Hevella CarbonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Novocarbo and Stadtwerke Dessau in developing Carbon Removal Park Dessau.
• PYREGcoreTechnology or IntegrationGerman technology provider for pyrolysis systems (PX1500). Novocarbo uses PYREG machines in its Carbon Removal Parks for controlled carbonization of biogenic residues into biochar.
• GoldeimerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHamburg-based company cooperating in SUPERCHAR research project with Novocarbo and University of Hamburg.
• USB Bochum GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSB Bochum GmbH owns the site where the planned Carbon Removal Park Bochum was to be built on Markstraße. Note: Project subsequently discontinued.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Carbofex: Finnish biochar producer using pyrolysis to convert biomass into biochar for soil, filtration, and carbon removal applications. Directly competes with Novocarbo in European biochar production and CDR certification.
• Carbonfuture: Berlin-based biochar carbon removal marketplace and registry, providing certification, traceability, and trading infrastructure for biochar CDR credits. Competes with Novocarbo in the biochar carbon credit value chain and operates overlapping customer relationships.
• Sonnenerde: Austrian producer of Terra Preta substrates and biochar for agriculture and urban greening. Closely comparable to Novocarbo's soil/urban-greening biochar business line and operates in the same German-speaking European market.
• Carbolia: Swedish biochar carbon removal company producing certified biochar for agricultural and construction use and selling carbon removal credits. Operates in the same Nordic/Northern European market with comparable pyrolysis-to-biochar model.

Emerging players

• CarbonOrO: Biochar-based construction materials company producing carbon-sequestering concrete and asphalt additives. Directly competes with Novocarbo's biochar-in-construction product line (concrete, floorscreed, asphalt).
• CarbonCure Technologies: Canadian company that injects captured CO2 into concrete for permanent storage, competing in the carbon-negative construction materials category. Overlaps with Novocarbo's biochar-enhanced concrete product line in serving sustainability-focused construction buyers.

Others

• PYREG: German supplier of the PX1500 pyrolysis systems used by Novocarbo's Carbon Removal Parks. Critical technology partner and adjacent ecosystem player; comparable on pyrolysis technology but not on carbon credit or heat-as-a-service business models.
• Puro.earth: NASDAQ-operated carbon removal marketplace (acquired from Puro.earth) where Novocarbo's biochar CDR credits are listed. Adjacent ecosystem infrastructure rather than a direct competitor, but a key channel for Novocarbo's carbon credit revenue.

Broad incumbents

• Climeworks: Swiss direct air capture (DAC) carbon removal company, larger and more capitalized than Novocarbo. Competes in the broader engineered CDR market and voluntary carbon credit sales, though via a different (DAC + storage) technology pathway.
• Charm Industrial: US-based carbon removal company that converts biomass into bio-oil for geologic sequestration. Operates in the same voluntary engineered CDR market as Novocarbo and sells comparable removal credits to hard-to-abate corporate buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NovoCarbo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/novocarbo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Novocarbo