Bavarian Biochar

“Biochar is a powerful soil additive and carbon sequestration agent. We were impressed by the scientific integrity of these credits produced by Carbon Cycle. Their comprehensive Lifecycle Assessment Analysis (LCA) rigorously accounts for project-related emissions to ensure that credits issued have real climatic benefits. Of the dozens of projects we reviewed, this project provides economic opportunities in a small agricultural town. While these tonnes are the most expensive of any we offer, the value to the planet and people is clear.”

– Johanna Depenthal, Director of Project Research

Project Type: Biochar

Project ID: 511285

Carbon Standard: Puro Earth

Vintage: 2024

Additionality: The Puro.Earth methodology requires “financial additionality, meaning that the CO2 removals achieved are a result of carbon finance and that the project activity would not be economically viable without the carbon finance. Without income from carbon there is no incentive to manufacture this product. Carbon credit revenue also supported a 200% increase in biochar-producing capacity in 2021 and is used continuously to subsidize the cost of biochar sold to farmers.

Permanence: Laboratory analysis proves that the biochar has the molecular properties necessary to sequester carbon in biochar in the soil for at least 100 years.

Site Visit: TBD

The project uses locally sourced untreated wood chips from sustainable timber harvesting in PEFC-certified (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) forests as the feedstock for the biochar.

The wood chips, otherwise considered waste, undergo pyrolysis, in which they are heated to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, effectively converting the organic material into a type of charcoal, called biochar. Biochar stores original biomass carbon in a form that is relatively resistant to decomposition and that can stabilize organic matter added to the soil. In this manner, carbon can be stored in the soil for an extended period, while also providing a range of soil fertility and soil quality co-benefits.

Carbon in the wood chips is stabilized through pyrolysis, which safely captures CO2 that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Certified by Puro.earth, the project meets all additionality and leakage baseline requirements and offers maximum durability.

The production of one tonne of high-quality biochar results in an equivalent of 2.86 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide becoming firmly bound for over a century.

Biochar creates an ideal habitat for soil microbes, fungi, and arthropods. Studies consistently demonstrate enhanced biological activity and diversity in soils using biochar. Air, water, and nutrients are retained in the pores and on surfaces, providing the perfect habitat for all kinds of beneficial organisms. In addition, because of their charge, biochar surfaces can absorb heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium .

Application rates vary, but 5-10 tons of biochar per acre area typical starting point, with annual applications much smaller, in the range of 0.5 tons per acre.

• Increases the percentage of soil organic carbon, helps reverse land degradation and improves crop yields
• Helps improve water efficiency and water-holding capability
• Helps hold plant nutrients in topsoil
• Absorbs heavy metals from soil
• Has minimal risk of release of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere
• Testing to see whether biochar can be stored in cement

• Price per tonne is higher than for other carbon removal project types.
• The quantity of biomass available for biochar production is a key factor limiting the global potential for this removal.