Hamerkop Climate Impacts and the International Biochar Initiative publish the “Biochar Carbon Removal Handbook”, a comprehensive guide for investors, producers and other parties interested in harnessing the potential of biochar as a sustainable carbon sink.
Biochar is a carbon-rich material obtained from the pyrolysis of organic matter that is gaining recognition for its potential for carbon capture and climate change mitigation. The manual offers a guide to navigate the complexities of biochar certification as a carbon removal tool, its role in the carbon market, variability in production, project design and certification processes.
The carbon market
Biochar can play a leading role in the voluntary carbon market by offering a reliable method for long-term carbon capture. In fact, already in 2023, biochar accounted for 94% of long-term carbon removal credits. The carbon market is an incentive for new biochar projects, allowing them to monetize their carbon capture efforts through the sale of credits. A financial incentive that will promote the growth of the industry with the socio-environmental benefits that it entails, especially in regions where biomass is used and in those that will receive biochar in their soils.
The carbon capture potential of biochar varies significantly depending on the source materials and production methods used. Source materials can range from agricultural waste to forestry waste, each of which affects the carbon content of biochar and co-products such as bio-oil and syngas. Production technologies, from small-scale furnaces to industrial pyrolysis plants, also influence biochar characteristics and production costs.
The manual provides a basic outline for successfully carrying out a biochar project; from how to determine the scale of production from mapping available resources and stakeholders, to selecting the appropriate source material, considering its availability, processing requirements and sustainability. Deciding on the technology and location of the facility are important steps, as is identifying the end use of the biochar, ensuring it provides long-term carbon storage and is integrated into a circular economy, and valuing the co-products that can be generated.
Finally, a section is dedicated to certification; how to select the most appropriate certification standard for the project that quantifies and validates the eliminations achieved.
Certification Standards
There are several certification standards that provide methodologies to quantify and verify the carbon removal capabilities of biochar.
Each standard has developed specific requirements for source materials, production technology, carbon accounting and monitoring.
- Pure.earth. First standard for biochar carbon credits, offering a methodology to quantify carbon removal from biochar.
- Carbon Standards International (CSI). It provides two methodologies: Global Biochar C-Sink and Global Artisan C-Sink, aimed at different production scales.
- Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). Managed by Verra, it includes the VM0044 methodology for the use of biochar.
- Climate Action Reserve (CAR). Targeted at projects in North America with the biochar protocol for the US and Canada.
- Riverse. It focuses on large-scale projects in Europe with its BECCS & biochar methodology.
The next edition of EXPOBIOMASA will dedicate a prominent space to the capture and storage of biogenic carbon, including biochar, a technology that is already being promoted by companies in Spain.
Learn more
https://biochar-international.org/manual-for-biochar-carbon-removal/