About the association

Toni has been part of the Bio Energy Netherlands project since 2015. Construction of the Amsterdam plant began in 2017–2018, and he led his team in building the plant. He subsequently helped commission the first two wood biomass gasification lines.

Today, he remains part of the project’s core team, working on the recovery of energy from waste wood. The team is developing technologies to separate and use the components of synthesis gas from wood biomass gasification, and to produce high-purity hydrogen.

Working with wood biomass showed him how energy production and care for the soil can be connected. This is what drew him to biochar: a material that, with the right quality and application, can support soil health and store carbon over the long term.

He co-founded the association to put this experience to work in Bulgaria. He believes the country’s agricultural traditions and natural conditions provide a strong foundation for more sustainable farming, with soil health at its heart. He wants to build a community of farmers, biochar producers and researchers who work together to restore depleted soils, assess suitable biochar applications and find ways to reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint.

A piece of wood holds energy stored by nature. For me, that means using it wisely and returning something of value to the soil through biochar.

Aleksandar worked in Toni Mihaylov’s team at Bio Energy Netherlands in Amsterdam. This gave him a first-hand view of the production environment and the practical links between wood biomass, energy production and biochar.

Today, he works in marketing for digital projects. In the association, he draws on this experience and his familiarity with the production environment to explain biochar and its applications clearly to people with different backgrounds and interests.

As a co-founder, he focuses on presenting the association’s work, engaging people with a shared interest and developing partnerships. His aim is to connect farmers, biochar producers, researchers and organisations that want to help advance biochar in Bulgaria. That collaboration depends on clear communication, attention to participants’ questions and realistic expectations about what the material can offer.