Pyrochar

What Pyrochar does

Pyrochar Pty Ltd is an Australian privately-held cleantech company that commercializes a patented Self-Sustaining Pyrolysis (SSP) technology developed and proven by CSIRO at TRL7 over 13+ years. The technology runs as an autothermal (exothermic) process that converts organic biowaste into metallurgical-grade biochar at 400-800°C under oxygen-limited conditions without requiring external heat input, producing a net-zero emission alternative to coal and coke for primary metals manufacturing. Pyrochar is structured as the exclusive global license-holder for the technology, formalized through a 30-year exclusive license agreement signed in 2023.

The company sells a portfolio of customizable char products — Biocarbon (flagship, replacing pulverised coal injection in blast furnaces and serving EAF, anode production, titanium dioxide, and silicon/ferroalloy applications), Charge Carbon (replacing charge coke), Green Graphite (industrial graphite applications including batteries), and Biocharon (a reductant for synthetic rutile production via the Becher process) — alongside a Carbon Credits and Bamboo sequestration program. Named enterprise customers include BlueScope (running large-scale BioChar blast furnace trials at Port Kembla Steelworks since December 2022, ARENA-funded), Magnium Australia (long-term net-zero carbon supply agreement, April 2023), and an Australian Net Zero Magnesium Refinery (MOU, February 2023). Reported performance outcomes include 30-60% GHG reduction in steelmaking and 3.67 tonnes of CO2 reduction per tonne of Biocarbon.

Revenue is generated through a sales-led, enterprise-direct motion combining physical product sales and technology sub-licensing. Distribution is global in scope via direct engagement and licensing, with content marketing, industry events, and inbound inquiry through pyrochar.com.au as the primary demand-generation channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per inquiry. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, the company has no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors in the available data, and ownership appears founder/management-controlled with a board chaired by Katherine Kennedy-White and CFO Charlie Dowsett (formerly RBS/ABNAMRO).

Name

Pyrochar

Legal name

Pyrochar (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://pyrochar.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pyrochar Pty Ltd is an Australian cleantech company that commercializes patented Self-Sustaining Pyrolysis technology to produce net-zero emission metallurgical biochar products as coal and coke replacements for steel, aluminum, magnesium, and other primary metals producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metallurgical Biochar

NAICS

Carbon and Graphite Product Manufacturing (335991)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

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), Synthetic Graphite Feedstocks (Petroleum Needle Coke & Pitch) (IMAKAFAE)

Keywords

• Metallurgical biochar
• Pyrolysis technology
• Biocarbon products
• Steel decarbonization
• Coal replacement

Headquarters

HQ city

Notting Hill

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. PyroChar Product Sales: Pyrochar produces and sells metallurgical biocarbon (MetChar) products including Biocarbon, Charge Carbon, and Green Graphite. These products replace coal/coke in primary metals manufacturing. The company sells directly to metal producers and offers product samples and detailed specifications upon inquiry.
2. Technology Sub-licensing: Pyrochar sub-licenses its patented SSP Pyrolysis technology to metal producers. This enables other manufacturers to deploy the technology within their own operations. The company entered a 30-year Exclusive License Agreement in 2023.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pyrochar manufactures and sells metallurgical char (biocarbon) products — Biocarbon, Charge Carbon, Green Graphite, Carbon Credits & Bamboo, and Biocharon — produced from organic biowaste using patented Self-Sustaining Pyrolysis (SSP) technology exclusively licensed from CSIRO. These products serve as net-zero emission replacements for coal and coke in primary metals manufacturing (blast furnaces, electric arc furnaces, titanium dioxide, silicon, ferroalloy, magnesium and activated carbon production). The company also sub-licenses its SSP Pyrolysis technology to metal producers under long-term agreements.

Product overview

Pyrochar is a cleantech company that develops and commercialises patented self-sustaining pyrolysis technology to produce high-grade metallurgical char products from organic biowaste. The product portfolio includes Biocarbon (Metallurgic Biocarbon) as the flagship product for blast furnace and electric arc furnace replacement of coal/coke, Charge Carbon as an alternative to charge coke, Green Graphite for industrial applications, and a Carbon Credits and Bamboo program for carbon sequestration. All products serve the metallurgical industry as net-zero emission alternatives to coal and coke.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MetChar: Net zero emission metallurgical char product designed to replace coal/coke in primary metals manufacture.
• Metallurgic Biocarbon
• Charge Carbon
• Green Graphite
• Biocharon

Products and services

• Biocarbon (Metallurgic Biocarbon) Flagship net-zero emission metallurgical biocarbon product for steel mills and other primary metal producers. Direct replacement for pulverised coal injection in blast furnaces, coal/coke in electric arc furnaces, graphite/coke in anode production, and a reductant in titanium dioxide, silicon and ferroalloy production. One tonne of Biocarbon reduces 3.67 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
• Charge Carbon Net zero emission charge carbon serving as an emission-free alternative to charge coke in primary metals manufacturing. Specifications: Carbon >85%, Ash <2%, Volatiles <7%, Density <1500 kg/m³.
• Green Graphite Sustainable Green Graphite powder for industrial and chemical applications, used in conductive coatings, brake linings, batteries, powder metallurgy, fertilizers, and glass production. Specifications: Carbon 99%, Ash <1%, 20–45 Micron.
• Carbon Credits and Bamboo Carbon sequestration program based on bamboo plantations that sequester approximately 17 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare annually, combined with biochar production for long-term carbon storage. The program is currently not certified for carbon credit sales due to prohibitive certification costs.
• Biocharon Proprietary Pyrochar biochar product used as a reductant in synthetic rutile production through the Becher process (titanium dioxide). Demonstrated TiO₂ content of 93–95% in synthetic rutile, addressing environmental drawbacks of coal including high CO₂ emissions, sulfur dioxide, and heavy metals.
• SSP Pyrolysis Technology Sub-Licensing Sub-licensing of Pyrochar's patented Self-Sustaining Pyrolysis (SSP) technology to metal producers. The 30-year exclusive licence from CSIRO enables partners to deploy the autothermal pyrolysis process within their own operations to produce metallurgical-grade biochar from organic biowaste.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces GHG emissions from steelmaking by 30-60%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Magnium AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2023Pyrochar & Magnium Australia entered a long-term agreement for net zero carbon supply in April 2023.
• Australian Net Zero Magnesium RefinerymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 February 2023Pyrochar signed an MOU for Supply Agreement with an Australian Net Zero Magnesium Refinery in February 2023.
• Exclusive LicenseescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2023Pyrochar entered a 30-year Exclusive License Agreement in 2023 for sub-licensing of technology to metal producers.
• BlueScopecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2022BlueScope began large-scale trials of BioChar in a Blast Furnace at Port Kembla Steelworks in December 2022. The trial was supported by ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) funding as part of a renewables emissions reduction study.
• CSIROcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006CSIRO's 'Australia Steel Industry CO2 Breakthrough Program' commenced in 2006 as a collaboration between Australia's two major steelmakers and CSIRO. Pyrochar was established to be the exclusive license technology holder to further develop and scale up the PyroChar technology. In May 2023, Pyrochar and CSIRO announced a collaboration to decarbonise steelmaking. The technology was developed and proven by CSIRO at TRL7 over 13+ years.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carbonaide: Finnish startup producing biochar from biowaste for use in construction materials and industrial applications. Directly comparable in feedstock (biowaste), production process (pyrolysis), and industrial carbon-substitution positioning.
• Biochar Now: US-based commercial-scale biochar producer with multiple pyrolysis units, marketing carbon products for agricultural and industrial use. Comparable as a commercial-stage biochar manufacturer serving industrial end-customers.
• CarbonScape: New Zealand-based developer of biomass-to-biochar technology targeting industrial carbon uses. Closest direct peer to Pyrochar, with overlapping pyrolysis approach and shared focus on replacing fossil-derived carbon in industrial applications.
• Charm Industrial: California-based company producing bio-oil and sequestered carbon via fast pyrolysis of biomass residuals. Directly comparable in biomass-to-carbon technology platform and focus on industrial decarbonization customers.
• Carbon Upcycling Technologies: Canadian company that converts CO2 and industrial waste into carbon-negative materials including biochar and activated carbon. Comparable in producing industrial-grade carbon from low-cost feedstocks for similar end markets.

Broad incumbents

• ArcelorMittal: World's largest steel producer with significant decarbonization commitments and trials of alternative reductants. Comparable as a global incumbent whose procurement decisions shape demand for metallurgical biochar at scale.
• BlueScope Steel: Australia's largest steelmaker and Pyrochar's anchor customer running BioChar blast furnace trials. Comparable as both customer and broad incumbent whose steel decarbonization roadmap directly drives Pyrochar's pipeline.
• Primetals Technologies: Austrian-Japanese supplier of metallurgical plant equipment and integrated steelmaking technologies to global mills. Comparable as a broad incumbent enabling decarbonization of metal production via technology partnerships rather than biocarbon reductants.
• Boston Metal: US-based company commercializing molten oxide electrolysis for green steel production. Targets the same metallurgical end-market and ESG-driven demand but uses an electrochemistry pathway instead of biocarbon reductants.
• H2 Green Steel (Stegra): Swedish green steel producer using hydrogen-based direct reduction to displace coal-based steelmaking. Competes for the same ESG-driven steel decarbonization budgets but via a fundamentally different technology pathway.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/pyrochar
• Facebookfacebook.com/pyrochar
• Instagraminstagram.com/pyrochar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Pyrochar