How we can help different companies in a targeted manner.
Discover how we can help different businesses in a targeted manner. From biogas plants and mills to wine and fruit farms.
One system. Many possibilities: from agriculture to industry. Our technology is as versatile as the challenges of the energy transition. Whether in agriculture, municipal waste recycling, or as a climate-positive solution for industrial processes, autarkize opens up new ways of using energy and materials sustainably. Each application not only creates benefits on site, but also has a real impact on the climate. Together with our partners, we develop solutions that pay off - ecologically and economically. Discover what is possible.
Industry
Generate climate-positive process heat directly on-site - independent of fossil fuels and with permanent CO₂ removal from the atmosphere.
Heating network
Use regional biomass waste to supply your heating network - climate-friendly, efficient, and a real contribution to the municipal heating transition.
Biogas plant
Increase the efficiency and revenue of your biogas plant through pyrolysis - with high-energy gas, CO₂ certificates, and optimal recycling of residues.
Biogas plants
Separation and pyrolysis of the fermentation residues replace expensive storage and logistics and create additional revenue.
Biogas plants must be able to store their digestate for 180 or 270 days. If the fermentation residue store is full and spreading is not permitted or not possible due to the weather, the plant must be throttled in the worst case. In addition, in red areas it is often not possible to spread the entire digestate on the fields in the region; instead, it has to be transported to other regions at great expense. Biowaste and food waste fermentation plants also have fermentation residues that require energy-intensive sanitization before transport and are contaminated with plastic and microplastics.
The fermentation residue from a biogas plant can be pressed through a separator and thus separated into a solid and a liquid phase. The solid phase is further dried with waste heat and processed into energy-rich pyrolysis gas and biochar in an autarkize plant. Thanks to the unique process, the pyrolysis gas from the autarkize has a similar energy density to the gas from the biogas plant. It can therefore be fed directly into the fermenter via a simple pipe connection, where it mixes with the biogas.
This not only leads to a higher quantity of gas. The added pyrolysis gas also leads to a positive shift in the C-N ratio and thus to a higher methane yield in the fermenter.
Thus, by fermentation and subsequent pyrolysis of the same amount of input material (e.g. renewable raw materials) and subsequent mixing of the gases, significantly more energy was obtained. A 15-20 percent increase in output is common. This increase in output also makes it possible to reduce the quantities cultivated or purchased with the same yield. At the same time, this process reduces the need for fermentation residue storage.
This means that fermentation residues from other plants can also be added. Any necessary hygienization is no longer necessary due to the temperatures in autarkize systems of 500-750 °C.
These temperatures also recycle plastics and microplastics without leaving any residue. The resulting biochar can be used on the farm as a soil conditioner or marketed. Additional revenue can be generated through the sale of CO2 certificates (CDR credits).
This turns storage, disposal, and logistics problems into sustainable solutions and revenue.
Your added value
Sale of CDR credits.
The biochar from autarkize is not only a valuable soil conditioner but also a permanent carbon sink. Plants take CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow and use the carbon to build their cells and structures. Normally, this carbon bound in the plant is converted back into CO2 by rotting or burning. However, the autarkize converts a larger proportion of the carbon into a stable biochar. If this carbon is then introduced into the soil, for example, it can hardly be decomposed, and the CO2, once bound, is permanently removed from the atmosphere.
Each autarkize plant removes several thousand tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year. Producers and users of autarkize biochar can receive certificates for this immensely important contribution to climate protection. The so-called Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) credits are issued in quality-assured processes and are purchased by companies and private individuals on international exchanges, for example.
The CDR certificates not only show the important contribution that farmers and biogas plant operators can make to climate protection. They are also a good, additional revenue stream and offer companies and private individuals the opportunity to offset their partially unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions locally in domestic cultivation areas.
Production of pyrolysis gas and utilization in the digester.
The unique autarkize process enables an energy-rich pyrolysis gas to be obtained from solid fermentation residues. As it has a similar calorific value and similar properties to biogas, it can easily be mixed with biogas and utilized in the CHP unit of the biogas plant. This avoids the costs of an additional CHP unit.
The pyrolysis gas essentially consists of methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. When it is mixed with the biogas in the digester, it dilutes the ammonia that is regularly present there. As too much ammonia inhibits microbiology, diluting the ammonia conversely leads to a better methane yield.
In total, the operator of a biogas plant therefore obtains more usable gas from the pyrolysis gas and also a higher methane yield.
Use the biochar produced yourself or market it as a soil conditioner and fertilizer.
The biochar produced in the process meets the high standards for use in agriculture, viticulture, and fruit growing, as well as in horticulture and landscaping. This opens up a wide range of possibilities for biogas plant operators.
Firstly, they can ferment the biochar on site together with the liquid fermentation residues. This produces charcoal activated with nutrients and microorganisms, which can be used in their cultivation areas to improve the soil and the microbiology, and to supply the plants with nutrients. In contrast to the application of untreated, liquid fermentation residues, activated charcoal has a higher nutrient efficiency (depot fertilizer) and actively contributes to humus formation.
Biochar that is not used in-house can be sold to other farms, private individuals, or larger substrate manufacturers.
Biogas plants
Generate electricity and biochar with additional biomass, increase the yield of the biogas plant, and produce peat substitutes.
Biogas plants generally have difficulty utilizing woody, hard-fibrous, and protein-rich biomass. NaWaRo plants in particular are therefore dependent on a basic supply of maize, for example. Other biomasses, such as green waste or grasses, can only be added in small quantities. The fermentation residues produced at the end of the biogas process are sold free of charge or at low prices and have a limited fertilizing effect on the cultivated area.
The biogas plant operator installs an autarkize plant next to his digester. In this plant, he can utilize additional materials such as wood residues, green waste, or grain residues. The resulting pyrolysis gas is fed directly into the fermenter of the biogas plant and converted into electricity via the biogas plant's CHP unit. The additionally generated electricity is remunerated according to the EEG for biomass plants (currently approx. 12 ct.).
The plant operator mixes the biochar produced by the autarkize with input substrate from the biogas plant and feeds this mixture into the fermenter. The exceptionally porous structure of the biochar and an increase in the carbon content in the fermenter lead to an increase in bacterial formation and thus to an increase in methane yield of up to 35%. This increased microbiology and the improved C-N ratio also allow the plant operator to use biomass with a higher protein content, such as grass.
In the course of the biogas process, biochar binds nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus and is colonized by valuable microorganisms. At the end of the biogas process, the fermentation substrate is pressed off, and the plant operator receives a mixture of fibrous fermentation residues plus charged and microbiologically activated biochar in the solid phase. This new substrate is not only an excellent fertilizer, but can also be marketed as a peat substitute. The clever combination of autarkize pyrolysis and a biogas plant can thus increase yield and performance, enable new input materials, and generate a high-quality peat substitute product.
Your added value
Sale of CDR credits.
The biochar from autarkize is not only a valuable soil conditioner but also a permanent carbon sink. Plants take CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow and use the carbon to build their cells and structures. Normally, this carbon bound in the plant is converted back into CO2 by rotting or burning. However, the autarkize process converts a larger proportion of the carbon into a stable biochar. If this carbon is then introduced into the soil, for example, it can hardly be decomposed, and the CO2, once bound, remains permanently removed from the atmosphere.
Each autarkize plant removes several thousand tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year. Producers and users of autarkize biochar can receive certificates for this immensely important contribution to climate protection. The so-called Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) credits are issued in quality-assured processes and are purchased by companies and private individuals on international exchanges, for example.
The CDR certificates not only show the important contribution that farmers and biogas plant operators can make to climate protection. They are also a good, additional revenue stream and offer companies and private individuals the opportunity to offset their partially unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions locally in domestic cultivation areas.
Production of pyrolysis gas and utilization in the digester.
The unique autarkize enables an energy-rich pyrolysis gas to be obtained from a wide variety of carbon-rich biomasses. As the gas has a similar calorific value and similar properties to biogas, it can easily be mixed with biogas and utilized in the biogas plant's CHP unit. This avoids the costs of an additional CHP unit.
The pyrolysis gas essentially consists of methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. When it is mixed with the biogas in the digester, it dilutes the ammonia that is regularly present there. As too much ammonia inhibits microbiology, diluting the ammonia conversely leads to a better methane yield.
Overall, the operator of a biogas plant therefore obtains more usable gas from the pyrolysis gas and also a higher methane yield.
Use the biochar produced yourself or market it as a soil conditioner and fertilizer.
The biochar produced in the process meets the high standards for use in agriculture, viticulture, and fruit growing, as well as in horticulture and landscaping. In this process, the biochar is also discharged from the biogas plant together with the fermentation residues, and the fermentation residues are pressed. The separated solid digestate is now a mixture of hard plant fibers and activated biochar charged with microorganisms. This new substrate has excellent properties and is a substitute for peat. This opens up a wide range of possibilities for biogas plant operators.
Operators of biogas plants can use the high-quality substrate as a depot fertilizer and soil conditioner to build up humus on their land. Peat substitute substrate that is not used by the plant itself can be sold to other farms, private individuals, or larger substrate manufacturers and soil plants.
Effect of biochar in the fermenter.
Biochar has a very fine, porous structure. One cubic centimetre of biochar has 200-500 square meters of internal surface area. This structure enables the binding of nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorus and is also a perfect settlement area for microorganisms.
In the fermenter, these properties lead to the binding of ammonium ions (and thus to a shift in the C-N ratio) and to a significant increase in the number of microorganisms. By settling on the biochar, these microorganisms are also more robust against disturbances of the balance, e.g., due to excessive salt concentrations.
This significantly increased and more robust microbiology and a better C-N ratio led to a noticeable increase in methane yield. Studies show up to 35 % higher efficiency with appropriate mixing ratios of biochar. Until now, these mixing ratios could not be achieved in practice in most biogas plants, as biochar was often too expensive to purchase. As biogas plant operators can now produce their biochar, even larger mixtures are no problem.
The biochar remains stable in the fermenter and is not broken down. It leaves the fermenter together with the fermentation residue. Advantageously, it is now immediately loaded with nutrients and colonized with microorganisms and can be used directly in agriculture or horticulture.
Industry
Climate-positive process heat for future-proof production sites
Industry is under increasing pressure to decarbonize its energy supply - whether due to rising energy costs, regulatory requirements, or the desire for more sustainable business practices. The pyrolysis plant from autarkize enables industrial companies to generate CO₂-neutral process heat directly on site - independently of fossil fuels and with a double ecological added value: CO₂ avoidance through regenerative heat production and active CO₂ removal through the biochar produced.
Our modular technology converts biogenic waste materials into valuable energy. This not only produces usable heat for your processes, but also a stable and certified biochar in which carbon is permanently bound and thus removed from the carbon cycle in the long term. This process is known as carbon removal, which can be certified and monetized through certificate trading.
The result: a reliable, scalable, and climate-positive energy source that pays off economically and measurably supports your sustainability goals. Whether in food processing, the woodworking industry, or agriculture, autarkize brings CO₂-neutral process heat to where it is needed.
Heating network
Rethinking regional heat supply - with real climate benefits
The heating transition is one of the biggest challenges facing municipal energy policy. At the same time, there are new opportunities for cities, municipalities, and energy suppliers: with autarkize's pyrolysis technology, regional biomass and green waste can be converted into climate-friendly heat and fed directly into the local heating network.
Our pyrolysis systems generate CO₂-neutral energy from biogenic residues that have often remained unused until now. The resulting pyrolysis gas is converted into heat via a gas burner - ideal for feeding into local or district heating networks. At the same time, a stable and certified biochar is produced, which reduces the greenhouse effect in the long term and can be monetized as a certified CO₂ sink.
The autarkize is particularly attractive for regions with available biomass resources, municipal climate targets, and the desire for local value creation. The systems are modular, expandable, and highly interesting from an economic point of view, especially where heat is needed permanently.
In this way, regional waste utilization becomes a real contribution to the heat transition - with a noticeable effect for the climate, the community and the population.
Wine and fruit farms
Extract activated biochar from vine and tree prunings and pomace to improve the soil and become energy self-sufficient.
Viticulture and fruit growing increasingly require climate-resilient soils that store water and nutrients well and promote plant growth and nutrient supply through active soil life. At the same time, many tons of vine and tree prunings, grubs, and pomace are produced every year, for which removal and disposal must be organized.
An increasing number of vineyards and orchards have already had positive experiences with the use of biochar. However, many of the products available on the market are too expensive for large-scale use.
Vine and tree prunings are high-quality input materials for autarkize systems. Vine and fruit growers transport these to a centrally located plant. There they are stored, dried and shredded, and continuously fed into an autarkize system.
In its unique process, the autarkize plant produces high-quality biochar and pyrolysis gas, from which electricity and heat are generated with the help of a combined heat and power plant. The plant is usually set up near a commercial or industrial operation or a municipality in order to cover its energy requirements with climate-neutral, locally generated energy.
The resulting biochar can be fermented together with the pomace in a further step and thus become an optimal soil conditioner and fertilizer for wine and fruit cultivation.
Additional revenue can be generated through the sale of CO2 certificates (CDR credits).
This turns a waste disposal problem into a regenerative energy supply, climate-resilient soils, better-supplied vines, shrubs, and trees, and ultimately, monetary revenue.
Your added value
Sale of CDR credits.
The biochar from autarkize plants is not only a valuable soil conditioner but also a permanent carbon sink. Plants extract CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow and use the carbon to build their cells and structures. Normally, this carbon bound in the plant is converted back into CO2 by rotting or burning. However, the autarkize process converts a larger proportion of the carbon into a stable biochar. If this carbon is then introduced into the soil, for example, it can hardly be decomposed, and the CO2, once bound, remains permanently removed from the atmosphere.
Each autarkize plant removes several thousand tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year. Producers and users of autarkize biochar can receive certificates for this immensely important contribution to climate protection. The so-called carbon-dioxide-removal (CDR) credits are issued in quality-assured processes and are purchased by companies and private individuals, e.g., on international stock exchanges.
The CDR certificates not only show the important contribution that fruit and wine growing can make to climate protection. They are also a good, additional revenue stream and offer companies and private individuals the opportunity to offset their partially unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions locally in domestic cultivation areas.
Generation of electricity and heat
The unique autarkize process enables the production of an energy-rich pyrolysis gas from the green cuttings of wine and fruit growers. Other biomasses such as pomace, municipal green waste, and forest residues can also be added. The pyrolysis gas is of a quality that can be converted into electricity and heat in conventional combined heat and power plants.
This saves costs and complexity. The electricity generated can be used on site (e.g., by a commercial enterprise) or fed into the public grid and remunerated following the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). This provides the system operator with a secure source of income.
The heat can also be used on-site by an industrial or commercial enterprise or fed into a local or district heating network. As the autarkize systems are very compact and transportable despite their high generation capacity, they can be easily installed where there is a high demand for energy.
Use the biochar produced yourself or market it as a soil conditioner and fertilizer.
The biochar produced in the process meets the high standards for use in agriculture, viticulture, and fruit growing, as well as in horticulture and landscaping. This opens up a wide range of possibilities for wine and fruit growers.
Firstly, they can ferment or compost the biochar on site together with their pomace. This produces a carbon activated with nutrients and microorganisms, which can be used in their cultivation areas to improve the soil, microbiology, and nutrient supply to the plants.
biochar that is not used by the farmers themselves can also be sold on to other farms, private individuals, or larger substrate producers.
MILL OPERATIONS
Becoming energy self-sufficient with mill residues and closing material cycles.
The production of products in grain and feed mills requires a lot of energy in the form of electricity, heat, and often also process steam. Most mills are dependent on external supplies for these forms of energy. Especially for heat and steam generation, there are usually no renewable sources available; instead, there is a dependency on fossil fuels and their markets.
At the same time, residues such as husks, hulls, and bran are produced during milling operations. These are usually passed on to biogas or composting plants, for example, at little or no cost and with technical and logistical effort.
Mill residues are an excellent input material for autarkize plants. Due to the compact design of the plants, they can be easily integrated into existing mill sites and material flows.
With the help of autarkize technology, an energy-rich pyrolysis gas is produced from the mill residues, which can be used to generate electricity and heat in a combined heat and power plant and steam in a steam boiler. Mills can thus cover a large part or even all of their energy requirements with their residues and become self-sufficient.
At the same time, a high-quality biochar is produced. This can be passed on directly to the supplying arable farms, for example, where it can be used to improve the soil or sold on the market.
As biochar has similar properties to activated carbon, it can also be used by feed mills in innovative feed mixtures.
Your added value
Sale of CDR credits.
The biochar from autarkize plants is not only a valuable soil conditioner, but also a permanent carbon sink. Plants extract CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow and use the carbon to build their cells and structures. Normally, this carbon bound in the plant is converted back into CO2 by rotting or burning. However, the autarkize process converts a larger proportion of the carbon into a stable biochar. If this carbon is then introduced into the soil, for example, it can hardly be decomposed, and the CO2, once bound, remains permanently removed from the atmosphere.
Each autarkize plant removes several thousand tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year. Producers and users of autarkize biochar can receive certificates for this immensely important contribution to climate protection. The so-called Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) credits are issued in quality-assured processes and are purchased by companies and private individuals on international exchanges, for example.
The CDR certificates not only show the important contribution that farmers and mill operators can make to climate protection. They are also a good, additional revenue stream and offer companies and private individuals the opportunity to offset their partially unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions locally in domestic cultivation areas.
Climate-neutral electricity and heat or steam - and less logistics
Many mills operate in 24/5, 24/6, or 24/7 mode. Screening, milling, or peeling residues are constantly produced. As these can often not be used on site, they are temporarily stored in silos, for example, and regularly transported by truck to further processors such as biogas plants or animal feed manufacturers.
As autarkize plants are also designed for 24/7 operation and process the mill residues, which are still rich in energy, in the best possible way, they can be upgraded to biochar and pyrolysis gas as an Input directly at the production site in an autarkize plant with no or only short intermediate storage. In combination with combined heat and power units and steam boilers, autarkize systems provide up to 1.2 megawatts of energy for the mill from its residual materials and make the mill independent of energy supplies.
Thanks to their compactness and optional container design, autarkize systems can be easily integrated on the company premises. This drastically reduces storage and logistics costs.
Market the biochar produced as a soil conditioner and fertilizer
The biochar produced in the process meets the high standards for use in agriculture, viticulture, fruit growing, horticulture, and landscaping.
Mill operators can sell this biochar directly on the market or activate it on site in further refinement steps with microorganisms and nutrients, and then market this terra preta product.
The marketing/passing on of biochar to the supplying arable farms is particularly appealing. This creates a closed cycle that first supplies flour, for example, from the harvested grain, then energy, and finally improves and fertilizes the soil on which the grain grows.
Good to know
FAQ
Who is the autarkize suitable for?
Our technology is aimed at farmers, municipal operators, industrial companies, and project developers who want to use organic residues in a climate-friendly way and generate renewable energy at the same time. The application is particularly attractive where biomass is produced and can be utilized locally.
Which substances can be processed in the system?
Dry, biogenic residual materials such as wood chips, landscape maintenance material, green waste, or suitable biowaste are processed. The specific input materials are checked and approved in advance by autarkize to ensure safe and efficient operation.
What products are created during pyrolysis?
The pyrolysis process produces three usable products: biochar for permanent CO₂ binding, an energy-rich gas mixture, and waste heat. The gas can be used flexibly - e.g., in an existing biogas system, via a gas burner for heat generation, or in a CHP unit for combined power and heat generation.
How does the application contribute to climate protection?
By converting biomass into biochar, carbon is sequestered in the long term and removed from the atmosphere - an active contribution to reversing climate change. This climate benefit can be documented and marketed through so-called CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal) certificates.
How can the system be integrated into existing systems?
The autarkize has a modular design and can be easily integrated into existing infrastructures, such as farms, municipal heating networks, industrial processes, or biogas plants. This increases efficiency and opens up new economic utilization options.
Can I use the biochar myself or sell it?
Yes, the biochar produced can be used, for example, to improve the soil, as bedding or as an additive in animal husbandry or for industrial applications. We also offer a network of sales partners to make it as easy as possible for you to get started.