Floyd biochar producer to invest $2.6M in expansion

Floyd-based SWVA Biochar LLC, an absorbent charcoal producer, will invest $2.6 million to increase its Floyd County operations’ capacity, a project expected to create 15 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.

Biochar is a highly absorbent, specially produced charcoal made by heating biomass with little to no oxygen. The product is used for filtration systems and as a soil conditioner, and it can help sequester carbon in soil.

“SWVA Biochar is creating an innovative product from biomass that has the potential to be applied to multiple industries while also making a positive impact on the environment,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Startups and small businesses are critical to job creation, and this young company is benefiting from Virginia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

The company will update its facility at 209 Sams Road SE, adding equipment, including new kilns.

Founded in 2021, SWVA Biochar produces biochar using biomass from Virginia companies. SWVA Biochar “is committed to making a positive impact on the environment and playing a role in the reversal of climate change,” according to a news release.

“SWVA Biochar worked with expert partners at James Madison University and in Colorado to determine that demand for quality biochar is high along the East Coast and overseas in Great Britain and other European countries,” Jack Wall, SWVA Biochar’s manager, said in a statement. “Virginia’s plentiful, high-quality biomass resources to make biochar and biochar-infused compost, as well as the markets for biochar products around the commonwealth, are unlimited.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership will provide funding and services to support the company’s employee recruitment and training through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program.