Conference List

As biochar projects move from pilot scale to fully operational carbon removal businesses, developers are increasingly confronted with the practical realities of certification, monitoring, verification and credit issuance. This session will move beyond high-level discussions to focus on the real-world “how-to” of successfully developing, certifying and operating biochar carbon projects. Drawing on practical experience from project developers, standards bodies and carbon market specialists, the discussion will explore the key operational, technical and documentation requirements needed to avoid delays, improve project bankability and ensure the reliable issuance of carbon credits.

This session will focus on the practical aspects of developing successful biogas projects, from early-stage concept development through to implementation and operation.
Speakers will share lessons learned from real projects and discuss the technical, financial, operational, and institutional considerations involved in delivering viable biogas systems within the African context.
Topics include:

• Project feasibility and feedstock assessments
• Technology selection and system design
• Project financing and investment readiness
• Stakeholder engagement and partnerships
• Construction, commissioning, and operational considerations
• Challenges and opportunities within African markets

Africa generates significant volumes of agricultural residues and organic waste that can be converted into renewable energy and valuable bio-based products. This session will explore the potential of biogas systems to unlock value from these underutilised resources.
The discussion will highlight feedstock opportunities from agriculture, agro-processing, food systems, and municipal organic waste streams, while showcasing how waste-to-energy solutions can contribute to energy generation, sustainable agriculture, and circular economy development.
Topics include:

• Livestock manure and agricultural residues
• Food and agro-processing waste
• Municipal organic waste diversion
• Feedstock management and logistics
• Digestate utilisation and nutrient recovery
• Circular economy opportunities linked to biogas

South Africa’s biochar sector is reaching an important turning point. For the first time, a unique group of pioneering producers, technology developers and early-stage project leaders will come together for an open discussion on the realities of building a biochar industry within the Sub-Saharan African context. Drawing on hands-on experience from organisations including B10 Char, PyroSA / Pyronam, Phambili Global, MyCHARR, Aquagel and Nhlamunyiko Group, the session will offer delegates a rare opportunity to hear directly from those navigating the technical, operational, financial and market realities of scaling biochar projects in Southern Africa. Through the sharing of individual journeys - each shaped by different feedstocks, technologies, markets, financing pathways and operational contexts - the discussion will help reveal a broader collective experience of the sector, highlighting both the recurring challenges encountered across projects and the areas where approaches are converging around shared lessons - or beginning to diverge as technologies, markets and business models evolve.

Rather than theoretical discussions, the session will focus on practical lessons learned from real projects, real deployment challenges and real commercial experiences encountered along the way. The discussion will explore how producers and developers are approaching feedstock selection, technology pathways, carbon certification, market development and commercial positioning, while also examining where the strongest opportunities are emerging across agriculture, industry, carbon removal and the wider bioeconomy. Delegates can expect candid insight into the successes, setbacks and unexpected realities encountered by first movers in the sector, as well as perspectives on what is still needed - from policy support and infrastructure to financing mechanisms, partnerships and market confidence - to help accelerate biochar deployment across Sub-Saharan Africa. Together, these collective experiences will help provide a grounded and forward-looking picture of where the Sub-Saharan African biochar sector stands today and where it could realistically evolve to over the coming decade.

As biochar markets continue to mature, increasing attention is being given to industrial applications capable of extending its value far beyond agriculture and carbon removal alone. This session will explore how biochar and biocarbon materials are beginning to emerge as strategic tools within industrial decarbonisation pathways, particularly in energy-intensive sectors such as metallurgy, mining and heavy industry. Drawing on international project experience and operational perspectives, the discussion will examine the technical, environmental and commercial realities of integrating biochar-derived materials into industrial processes traditionally reliant on fossil carbon sources.

Alongside industrial applications, the session will also explore the growing role of biochar in land remediation and ecological restoration, particularly in landscapes affected by mining and industrial degradation. Speakers will share insights into how biochar can contribute to soil rehabilitation, contaminant immobilisation, water retention and ecosystem recovery, while simultaneously supporting carbon sequestration and circular resource utilisation. Delegates can expect to gain a clearer understanding of the opportunities, limitations and emerging market pathways for industrial biochar applications, as well as how these approaches may contribute to wider decarbonisation, land restoration and bioeconomy development strategies within African and international contexts.

The Southern African Biogas Industry Association (SABIA) will host its 2026 Annual General Meeting during the closing session of Day 1.
The AGM will provide members with an opportunity to reflect on the association’s activities, governance, financial performance, and strategic direction, while also discussing priorities for advancing the biogas sector across Southern Africa.
The meeting will include:

• Treasurer’s and Secretary General’s addresses
• Financial statements and resolutions
• Re-appointment of auditors
• Re-election of directors
• Executive updates and general matters

The AGM will be open to SABIA members attending Bio360 Africa

Africa’s cooking energy transition requires more than simply replacing traditional fuels — it requires the development of integrated, scalable, and locally rooted energy ecosystems. This session explores the emerging concept of “Green Cooking”: modern renewable cooking systems based on sustainable bioenergy pathways including biogas, bioethanol, pellets, wood chips, and other circular biomass solutions.

Bringing together technology developers, project implementers, financiers, policymakers, and carbon market stakeholders, the session will examine how fuels and cooking technologies must be developed in parallel to create viable markets and long-term adoption. Discussions will cover technology pathways, decentralized production models, fuel distribution systems, circular economy opportunities, institutional demand, carbon finance, and the policy frameworks needed to scale green cooking across Africa.

The session aims to position bioenergy not as a transitional solution, but as a strategic pillar of Africa’s renewable energy, agricultural, and circular bioeconomy future.

The planned session structure is as follows:

• Technology Pathways
• Value Chains & Deployment
• Finance, Policy & Scale

Session organised in collaboration with the World Bioenergy Association (WBA) Clean Cooking Working Group

Non-recyclable waste streams continue to represent a growing environmental and logistical challenge across many African municipalities and industrial sectors, particularly where landfill capacity, waste segregation and recycling infrastructure remain limited. This session will explore the role of thermal conversion and combustion technologies in recovering energy from residual waste streams that cannot be economically or technically recycled, while examining the place of waste-to-energy within broader circular economy and decarbonisation strategies. The discussion will address both the opportunities and the controversies surrounding RDF production, thermal treatment technologies and emissions management, providing delegates with a balanced and technically grounded perspective on the sector’s evolving role.

Bringing together international expertise and operational experience, ESWET (the European Suppliers of Waste to Energy Technologies association) will explore the role of waste-to-energy within a circular economy framework and its relationship with wider bioenergy systems, examining where thermal conversion can complement material recovery and recycling objectives. Alongside this, Vyncke and other industry contributors will share practical insight from real-world projects involving RDF production, industrial combustion systems and advanced emissions management approaches. Delegates can expect to gain a clearer understanding of the technical, environmental and regulatory considerations surrounding non-recyclable waste-to-energy systems, as well as the conditions under which such approaches may contribute to sustainable waste management and energy recovery strategies within African contexts.

As Africa seeks to diversify its renewable energy mix and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, biodiesel is increasingly emerging as a practical circular-economy solution capable of transforming problematic waste streams into locally produced transport and industrial fuels. This session will explore the growing biodiesel landscape within Southern Africa, examining how waste oils, organic residues and other feedstocks are being converted into cleaner-burning renewable fuels while simultaneously addressing waste management, emissions reduction and energy security challenges. The discussion will also examine the evolving role of biodiesel within industrial decarbonisation, transport applications and localised energy resilience strategies.

Drawing on practical project experience and operational expertise, contributors including Kulu Eco-Services, Thauma Energy Projects, MT Biofuels, Zen Oil and BLEG GreenEnergy will share insights into feedstock sourcing, used cooking oil recovery, biodiesel production systems, fuel quality standards and market deployment within African operating conditions. The session will also explore how biodiesel production pathways can evolve beyond fuel alone towards the wider valorisation of bio-based molecules and co-products, including opportunities linked to biochemicals, industrial inputs and higher-value circular bioeconomy applications. Delegates can expect to gain a clearer understanding of both the opportunities and practical challenges associated with scaling biodiesel production in Africa, including feedstock logistics, regulatory frameworks, quality assurance, decentralised production models and the wider role biodiesel and associated bio-refining pathways could play within Africa’s emerging circular bioeconomy.