A Framework for Modeling the Economic Viability of and Incentives Design for Biochar Carbon Removal with Energy Co-production

Biochar carbon removal (BCR) is an emerging negative emissions technology with co-products whose markets are heavily influenced by policies. Techno-economic modeling supports industry decision-making under hypothetical financial and political conditions, while aiding policymakers in designing effective policies. However, existing models are either highly specific to certain plant designs or overly generic. This paper introduces pyromof, a new open-source framework based on oemof, designed for creating economic optimization models for pyrolysis plant construction and operation under various policy conditions. The framework allows integration of components like storage systems and engines, with a focus on flexibility in electricity feed-in. A use case demonstrates its functionality by assessing the impact of a subsidy for syngas storage systems on plant flexibility and viability, assuming continuous minimum heat demand. Results show that a standalone syngas storage subsidy, without adjusting combined heat and power (CHP) plant prices, does not improve flexibility or viability compared to plants with only electricity and heat storage. Future framework developments will incorporate additional policies.