Carbofex
Carbofex Oy is a Finnish industrial technology company that operates continuous biomass pyrolysis systems to produce EBC-certified biochar, pyrolysis oil, and clean energy, selling wholesale biochar and turnkey pyrolysis plants to agricultural, municipal, and industrial customers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersNokia, Finland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Carbofex does
Carbofex Oy is a Finland-based industrial technology company founded in 2017 that operates continuous biomass pyrolysis systems to produce EBC-certified biochar, pyrolysis oil, and clean energy. Its core product is a continuous pyrolysis unit that processes waste biomass (wood chips, nut shells, straw pellets, olive pits, coconut shells, and other organic residues) at controlled temperatures of 500–700°C with adjustable residence times of 5–10 minutes, yielding biochar with 92% carbon content and surface area exceeding 364 m²/g. The company's demo plant in Nokia, Finland has been operational since 2017 with capacity to carbonize 500 kg of biomass per hour, producing 1,000 tonnes of biochar, 600 tonnes of pyrolysis oil, and up to 8,000 MWh of clean energy annually, with surplus heat integrated into a municipal district heating network.
The company monetizes through three primary channels: wholesale biochar sales to global customers across agricultural, water treatment, industrial, and energy segments; sale of turnkey pyrolysis plants and technology solutions to industrial buyers; and co-product sales including pyrolysis oil and clean energy. It also markets a CORC (Carbon Removal Certificate) product aligned with voluntary carbon markets. Go-to-market is sales-led with a quote-based process, supported by a regional sales presence in Norway via the wholly-owned Carbofex Scandinavia AS subsidiary. Notable customer references include Stockholm City Parks, where 6,500 tonnes of organic waste are processed into biochar soil across the city's parks under a project estimated to deliver approximately EUR 850,000 in revenue over eight years.
The company holds multiple certifications creating barriers to entry in its target segments, including European Biochar Certificate (EBC) Agro Organic quality class, Finnish Food Authority organic production approval, EU animal feed additive authorization, and PEFC-certified feedstock sourcing. It self-positions as one of the largest EBC-certified biochar producers in Europe, with production reportedly sold out more than a year in advance. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds; leadership comprises Chairman and Co-founder Veikko Kantero, CEO Olli Talaslahti, CFO Janne Kantero, Development Manager Kim Lehiö, and Product Manager Irina Hyytiäinen.
Carbofex firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carbofex
- Legal name
- Carbofex Oy
- Website
- https://carbofex.fi
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Carbofex Oy is a Finnish industrial technology company that operates continuous biomass pyrolysis systems to produce EBC-certified biochar, pyrolysis oil, and clean energy, selling wholesale biochar and turnkey pyrolysis plants to agricultural, municipal, and industrial customers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carbofex industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biochar Production
- NAICS
- Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117)
- SIC
- Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Biochar Production & Soil/Material Applications (EUABAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biochar Carbon Projects (Biomass to Biochar & Soil Application) (EUABABAH), Organic & Bio-based Fertilizers (Manure/Compost/Biochar) (IMAEAEAF), Biochar & Carbon-Based Soil Builders (AFABAKAG), Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass) (EUABAJAD)
Keywords
Where Carbofex is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nokia
- HQ country
- Finland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Carbofex business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Biochar Sales: Sale of biochar products to wholesale customers globally. Certified for Agro Organic use, organic food production, and multiple industrial applications including soil improvement, filtering, and as raw material for industrial uses.
- Pyrolysis Technology/Equipment Sales: Turnkey pyrolysis plant solutions for industrial biochar production. World-class biochar production facilities sold as complete systems.
- Clean Energy Sales: Sale of clean energy (heat, steam, cooling, desalination) produced as co-product from pyrolysis process, including district heating network integration.
- Pyrolysis Oil Sales: Sale of pyrolysis oil produced (300-600 tons per year capacity) as by-product from biochar production process.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Carbofex product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carbofex operates continuous biomass pyrolysis to produce and wholesale EBC-certified biochar globally, while also selling turnkey pyrolysis plant solutions and technology licenses. Each plant co-generates biochar, pyrolysis oil, and clean energy (heat, steam, cooling, desalination) from a single biomass input, with the company additionally offering carbon removal certificates (CORC).
Product overview
Carbofex offers a unified biochar production solution consisting of continuous pyrolysis technology and the resulting biochar products. The core offering combines the Carbofex Biochar Production Technology (a turnkey pyrolysis plant solution) with Carbofex Biochar Natural as the primary commercial product. The production process generates pyrolysis oil and clean energy as co-products, while the company also offers CORC (carbon removal certificates). The technology portfolio spans from demo-scale (500 kg/hour input capacity) to full industrial implementation, with a focus on producing premium-grade biochar for agricultural, industrial, and environmental applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Biochar natural: Multi purpose biochar product treated only with water, containing no additives and free of chemicals. Suitable for substrate, soil improvement and filtering applications. EU-approved for animal feed additive and for stall-, cattle shed-, piggery-, henhouse floor desiccator additive and gas/odour management.
Products and services
- Carbofex Biochar Natural Multi-purpose EBC-certified biochar (treated only with water, no additives, free of chemicals) with 92% carbon content, surface area of 364+ m²/g, and pyrolysis temperature of 650-700°C. Approved for EU animal feed additive, Agro Organic quality class of the EBC, and organic food production by the Finnish Food Authority. Sold wholesale to agricultural, industrial, and environmental buyers globally.
- Carbofex Biochar Production Technology / Turnkey Pyrolysis Plant Turnkey continuous biomass pyrolysis plant solution sold to industrial buyers globally. Processes up to 500 kg of wood chips per hour into biochar, pyrolysis oil, and clean energy, with adjustable temperature (500-700°C) and residence time (5-10 min). Includes optional auxiliary systems (hot water boiler for district heat, steam production, flue gas heat recovery, biochar enhancement system, feedstock dryer, greenhouse CO2 enrichment).
- Pyrolysis Oil Bio-oil co-product from the pyrolysis process (up to 600 tons per year at the demo plant) usable for heat, steam, cooling, and desalination applications. Sold to customers based on quantity and quality requirements.
- CORC (Carbon Removal Certificates)
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,000 tonnes of CO2 removals per year (per plant)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Carbofex
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Carbofex technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Carbofex partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Carbofex competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pacific Biochar Benefit Corp: US producer of biochar for agriculture, horticulture, and environmental remediation, with emphasis on certified, premium-grade output. Comparable as a multi-region biochar producer targeting soil improvement and carbon removal use cases.
- Sonnenerde: Austrian producer of premium biochar substrates and soil amendments for agriculture and horticulture. Comparable to Carbofex in producing high-quality, certified biochar for soil improvement and horticultural end markets in the DACH/Nordic region.
- Biochar Now: US-based biochar producer with proprietary pyrolysis systems, focused on agricultural soil, water filtration, and carbon sequestration applications. Directly comparable in pyrolysis-based biochar production, multi-use value proposition, and carbon credit monetization.
- Carbonfuture: German carbon removal credit platform that certifies and trades biochar-based removal credits, including from European biochar producers. Comparable as a market infrastructure peer and as a channel for biochar-based CORC-style products that Carbofex also offers.
- Novocarbo: German-based biochar producer (a spin-out of Hamburg Wasser) that supplies EBC-certified biochar for soil, climate, and industrial applications, with a comparable product and certification profile to Carbofex. Directly competes in the European EBC-certified biochar market.
Emerging players
- CarbonOrO: Emerging European biochar project developer focused on carbon removal and agricultural applications, including pyrolysis-based production. Comparable in business model focus on biochar for CDR credits and farming, though at an earlier commercial stage than Carbofex.
- Bright Renewables (Bright Biomethane): Netherlands-based supplier of biogas upgrading and biomass-to-energy systems. Comparable as a European supplier of biomass conversion technology, partially overlapping with Carbofex's clean energy co-generation and biomass utilization capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- Valmet: Finnish-listed process technology supplier with a broad biomass conversion and bioenergy portfolio. Comparable as a Finnish-headquartered provider of biomass-to-energy and pyrolysis-adjacent technology and a potential equipment/engineering counterparty for Carbofex-scale pyrolysis projects.
- Carbon Engineering: Canada-based large-scale carbon removal technology company (now part of Occidental). Comparable in addressing the durable carbon removal market that Carbofex targets via biochar and CORC, but operates a fundamentally different (DAC) technology at materially larger scale.
Regional players
- Swiss Biochar: Swiss-based biochar research, certification, and production entity closely tied to the EBC standard. Comparable in producing EBC-certified biochar for agricultural and environmental applications, with a Central European geographic overlap to Carbofex's Nordic home market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Carbofex social profiles
Digital presenceCarbofex compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Carbofex financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carbofex leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Carbofex subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Carbofex funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carbofex M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Carbofex
What does Carbofex do?
Carbofex operates continuous biomass pyrolysis to produce and wholesale EBC-certified biochar globally, while also selling turnkey pyrolysis plant solutions and technology licenses. Each plant co-generates biochar, pyrolysis oil, and clean energy (heat, steam, cooling, desalination) from a single biomass input, with the company additionally offering carbon removal certificates (CORC).
Is Carbofex a public or private company?
Carbofex is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Carbofex founded?
Carbofex was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Carbofex based?
Carbofex is headquartered in Nokia, Finland, in the Europe region.
How does Carbofex make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Biochar Sales are the primary driver. The others are pyrolysis Technology/Equipment Sales, clean Energy Sales and pyrolysis Oil Sales.
Who are Carbofex's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pacific Biochar Benefit Corp, Sonnenerde, Biochar Now, Carbonfuture and Novocarbo. Emerging players are CarbonOrO and Bright Renewables (Bright Biomethane). Broad incumbents are Valmet and Carbon Engineering. Swiss Biochar is listed as a regional player.
Does Carbofex have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carbofex.
What industry is Carbofex in?
Carbofex's product category is Biochar Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAFAC, Biochar Production & Soil/Material Applications, with a secondary code of EUABABAH, Biochar Carbon Projects (Biomass to Biochar & Soil Application). Its NAICS code is 32531 and its SIC code is 4991.