Semi-coke is a carbon-rich residue formed during the pyrolysis of carbon-containing waste such as used car tires, plastics, industrial rubber waste, polymers, textile residues, and other organic materials including biomass, bird droppings and animals manure. The formation of semi-coke typically requires temperatures end of process into raw material around 500°C, where volatile components evaporate, leaving behind a concentrated carbon fraction.
Semi-coke can be used either as a biochar, charcoal or as carbon black, depending on the raw material from which it is produced.
If the feedstock is biomass, the resulting product is biochar or eco-charcoal — a clean, renewable carbon material used for agriculture, soil improvement, filtration, metallurgy, silicon production and other industries and activated carbon production. If the feedstock consists of polymers, rubber waste (RTI), or other synthetic materials, the product is technical carbon (semi-coke / carbon black), which is used as a fuel, a pigment, or a filler in industrial products. As a fuel, semi-coke or biochar can be burned in furnaces directly or after briquetting. This type of fuel has a calorific value exceeding 7,500 kcal/kg. As an industrial material, carbon black (from polymers and rubber) is widely used as a dye, reinforcing filler, or functional additive (check article “Application of Charcoal”) .
The size of the carbon material is determined by its intended use and by the type of raw material from which it is produced. Large, dense fractions are usually obtained from wood biomass and are traditionally known as charcoal. Such material is used in metallurgical processes, including blast furnaces, as well as in household heating and BBQ applications, where strong structure and long, clean combustion are required. Fine fractions follow a different logic of application. When they are produced from biomass, the material is commonly referred to as biochar and is used in agriculture, filtration, environmental technologies and various industrial processes. When the fine carbon material comes from polymers, rubber waste or other synthetic feedstocks, it is known as carbon black and serves primarily as an industrial pigment or a functional filler.
Semi-coke production is the main function of the mobile EKKO-2 carbonization unit, a technology developed and refined by GreenPower’s engineering team. Over more than twenty years of continuous work in thermal decomposition and carbonization systems, the company has created equipment that meets modern international standards, ensuring stable operation, full afterburning of pyrolysis gases and complete environmental safety.
In addition to the charcoal furnace EKKO-2 model, GreenPower has developed two advanced lines of continuous carbonization systems — BIO-KILN’s and Carbon-Flow models. The BIO-KILN series is designed for high-efficiency biochar production from biomass, offering continuous feedstock flow, stable temperature zones up to 1100°C, maximized carbon yield and complete absence of liquid by-products. This technology is widely used for renewable carbon production, agriculture, soil enhancement and carbon-credit projects.
The Carbon-Flow system represents a high-capacity industrial solution for continuous carbonization, optimized for applications requiring stable output, uniform heat distribution and efficient utilization of pyrolysis gases as an internal energy source. It is particularly well-suited for large-scale lump charcoal production.
Today, GreenPower furnaces are used worldwide for producing semi-coke, biochar and a broad range of carbonized materials, demonstrating reliability, efficiency and technological maturity in real industrial environments.
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