Green Valley Biochar, a Middle Eastern biochar producer, and German technology-driven concrete company Bton Group have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for supply and partnerships.
This agreement focuses on integrating biochar, a carbon-negative material, into concrete production, marking a step towards sustainable construction in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, according to a press release posted on Zawya.
Bton Group has developed a technology that incorporates biochar into concrete, enhancing durability and offering a climate-positive product with more than 100% carbon dioxide (CO₂) savings.
As per the MoU, Green Valley will be responsible for supplying biochar to Bton and managing the necessary pyrolysis plants, ensuring a consistent biomass supply.
Bton Group will then integrate the supplied biochar into its concrete production process.
Green Valley Biochar co-founder Tolga Soytekin said: “After spending the last 12 months focusing on landscape, agriculture, and animal husbandry solutions by using biochar, this is a huge step in the development of our own story.
“The fact that we will be setting up additional pyrolysis facilities means that we will ensure more CO₂ drawdown and carbon sequestration in the region through industrial applications.”
The partnership is expected to create a new market for Green Valley's biochar and allow Bton Group to offer climate-positive solutions to the region.
The development aims to provide developers and construction companies in the region with a reliable source of sustainable concrete.
Initially commencing operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the initiative is set to expand across the GCC region, with a focus on Saudi Arabia, where Bton Group plans to set up additional plants in the coming years.
Bton Group CEO Thomas Demmel said: “The partnership will benefit the whole construction industry and allow for highly sustainable - in fact, carbon-negative/climate-positive - and price-competitive concrete/precast concrete elements.
“This collaboration, which has been propelled by one of the largest real estate developers in the UAE, will landmark technology-driven circular solutions in the GCC.”