Biochar Production &
Application

Biochar converts biomass waste into a highly stable form of carbon that persists in soils for centuries to millennia. Beyond carbon storage, it improves soil fertility, water retention, and crop yields - making it one of the most versatile and co-benefit-rich pathways in the Teravent registry.

Engineered ⏳ 100–1,000 years 📋 TM-002 ● Scaling

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~90%

Carbon stability in soil

1,000yr

Maximum storage timescale

0.3 Gt

Annual potential by 2050

EBC/IBI

Standards basis

TM-002

Teravent Methodology ID

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Overview

How this pathway works

Biochar is produced by thermally converting biomass under limited oxygen conditions (pyrolysis). The resulting charcoal has a highly aromatic, stable chemical structure with a mean residence time in soil estimated at 100-1,000+ years - making it one of the most durable biological carbon removal pathways available today.

Unlike biomass left to decompose or burn, biochar locks the carbon that plants absorbed from the atmosphere into a stable form. The process also produces heat or syngas as a co-product, displacing fossil fuel use in some configurations.

Teravent's biochar methodology (TM-002) is built on the European Biochar Certificate (EBC) Carbon Standard and International Biochar Initiative (IBI) standards, using H:Corg ratio and oxidative stability index (OxBC) as the primary permanence indicators. Projects must demonstrate both feedstock sustainability (no land-use change or agricultural diversion) and verified application to eligible soils.

Supported Sub-Types

Project types accepted

The following variants of the Biochar pathway are currently eligible for registration in the Teravent Registry.

Agricultural residue pyrolysis: rice husks, sugarcane bagasse, corn stover

Forestry waste and wood chip biochar from certified sources

Municipal organic waste biochar (excluding hazardous materials)

Slow pyrolysis at 450-700°C (maximising carbon stability)

Fast pyrolysis and gasification with char capture and characterisation

Biochar-soil application for permanence with application monitoring

Biochar concrete and construction material integration (emerging sub-type)

MRV Confidence

Measurement, reporting
& verification

Teravent's Science Advisory Board assesses each pathway against four MRV dimensions. These scores reflect the current state of measurement science and are updated as methodology evolves.

Production QuantificationVery High

Application MonitoringHigh

Permanence ConfidenceVery High

Additionality ClarityHigh

🔬 Science & Measurement Note

Biochar permanence is assessed using the H:Corg molar ratio threshold (≤0.7 for EBC-C class, ≤0.4 for EBC-C+ class) and the OxBC test. Teravent MRP-05 governs production monitoring, feedstock characterisation, chain of custody, and application tracking.

Eligibility Requirements

Key registration criteria

Projects must meet all of the following minimum requirements to be considered for registration under the Biochar pathway. Additional requirements may apply depending on project size, geography, and specific methodology version.

✓

Feedstock is demonstrably waste or residue - no land-use change or food crop diversion

✓

Pyrolysis temperature and residence time logged continuously during production

✓

H:Corg ratio measured per production batch via accredited laboratory

✓

Chain of custody documentation from feedstock receipt to soil application

✓

Application site recorded with GPS coordinates; soil type and quantity documented

Co-Benefits & SDGs

Sustainable Development
Goal alignment

All Teravent-registered Biochar projects must complete an SDG impact assessment at registration and at each verification period. 5 SDGs are tracked for this pathway.

SDG 13 Climate ActionSDG 2 Zero HungerSDG 15 Life on LandSDG 7 Clean EnergySDG 8 Decent Work

Focus region: SE Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa - where co-benefits for communities and ecosystems are most significant and credit demand most transformational.