GECA is pleased to highlight the commercial development of Quonset Soil Solutions (QSS), an affiliate of Green Development and a former GECA client. The Rhode Island facility transforms locally sourced forestry by-products into biochar products for horticultural and agricultural applications while recovering renewable energy from the production process.
The facility incorporates four Vow BioGreen® pyrolysis reactors, making it one of Vow’s most significant circular biochar installations. The plant was designed to produce up to 6,000 tonnes of biochar annually. Its products are now being commercialized by QSS as biochar-based soil amendments for lawns, gardens and horticultural applications.
Waste heat generated by the pyrolysis process is recovered and supplied to a 1.8 MW Turboden Organic Rankine Cycle system. The resulting renewable electricity offsets the facility’s internal consumption, enabling grid-independent operation. Turboden estimates that the integrated project avoids approximately 16,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.
GECA supported Green Development during the project’s critical development stages. Our work included:
- Developing and applying the technology-evaluation framework;
- Evaluating pyrolysis equipment suppliers and supporting the selection of Vow’s technology;
- Providing technical support for environmental permitting; and
- Assessing and selecting priority markets for the biochar and biochar-based products.
The project demonstrates how rigorous technology selection, early market development and integrated energy recovery can turn forestry residues into marketable products, renewable electricity and durable carbon storage.
GECA congratulates Green Development, Quonset Soil Solutions, Vow and Turboden on reaching this major industrial milestone.
Quonset Soil Solutions-biochar Soil-Amendment Products
Vow projects design, technology selection and permitting milestone
Turboden-intallation of the 1.8MW renewable power-generation system
