Charm Industrial is extending its carbon removal operations into Louisiana, converting an abandoned oil and gas well into a long-term storage site for bio-oil. The move gives the San Francisco-based company an additional 500,000 metric tons of storage capacity, adding Louisiana to a roster that already includes California, Colorado and Kansas.
The well, located in central Louisiana, has been approved under a Class V injection permit, which covers wells used for experimental or nonstandard purposes. Charm says it worked with regulators and community leaders to evaluate the site and ensure its integrity before beginning operations.
In a blog post Peter Reinhardt, Charm’s chief executive, called the Louisiana expansion a turning point for the company. “Louisiana’s history in oil & gas, manufacturing, and heavy industry makes it a natural fit for the next phase of Charm’s injection operations,” he writes. He added that the region’s workforce provides “the skillsets required for safe, effective, and responsible bio-oil injection.”
Bio-oil as a promising carbon removal approach
The company produces bio-oil from forestry and agricultural residues. The thick liquid is then injected underground, where it is designed to remain stable and isolated from surrounding rock and water.
Proponents view the process as a way to remove carbon from the atmosphere while reusing existing fossil fuel infrastructure, including thousands of idle and orphaned wells. Louisiana alone has more than 4,500 such sites.
Bio-oil injection is one of several emerging approaches to carbon dioxide removal (CDR), alongside direct air capture and mineralization. Unlike technologies that require building new facilities, it can take advantage of wells drilled decades ago, potentially lowering costs and avoiding new land disruption.
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