CARBON NEGATIVE

IMPACT

Every kilogram of preta material stores roughly two kilograms of CO₂e; netting −1.98 kg after production, before transport.

preta material — estimated cradle-to-gate life cycle analysis, per kg
−1.98kg CO₂e / kg material
Source: ACC Cradle-to-Gate LCA of MDI resin precursor (2022).
Biochar carbon storage (kg CO₂e)
−2.17
Biochar production energy (kg CO₂e)
0.019
Polyol production emissions (kg CO₂e)
0.13
Isocyanate production emissions (kg CO₂e)
0.025

Why the material comes in negative

Preta starts with agricultural waste; carbon that plants already pulled from the air, and that would otherwise be released again through burning or decomposition. Locking it into a solid, durable material keeps that carbon stored instead. That stored carbon (−2.17 kg CO₂e per kilogram) far outweighs the emissions of producing the material, which is why the balance comes out negative.

What's counted, and what isn't

The figure covers the full cradle-to-gate footprint; the energy to produce the carbon and the emissions of the binder components. What it doesn't include is transport, since that depends on how far the feedstock and finished product travel; we model that separately. The net result, before transport, is −1.98 kg CO₂e per kilogram.