Projects must provide a complete list of organizations participating in the project. This must include: the organization's name, role in the project, registration number, address, contact person, email address, and phone number.
Work with us as a Biochar supplier
We've combined requirements from our modular protocol framework outlining everything you need to be validated as a Biochar supplier.
We provide further support to compile a compliant validation package on our platform, Isometric Certify.
Overview
Where do requirements come from?
Isometric Standardv2.0->Biochar Production and StorageProtocolv1.2->Biochar Production in Combustion Co-product SystemsModulev1.0->Biochar Production in Distributed and Small Scale ProjectsModulev1.0->Biochar Storage in the Built EnvironmentModulev1.0->Biochar Storage in Low Oxygen Burial EnvironmentsModulev1.0->Biochar Storage in Soil EnvironmentsModulev1.2->
List of Biochar requirements
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Table of contents
Project setup
Project setup
Essential project details including who's involved, the location of your project, and how much carbon will be removed.
Projects must provide an estimate of the net removal and/or reduction capacity of this project for the duration of the project crediting period (metric tonnes).
Projects must provide a brief explanation for why they are eligible under the selected protocol.
Projects must submit at least one address and/or specific geo-coordinates for the project. Projects may submit multiple project locations – please specify what role each location plays in the project.
Projects must provide reasoning and evidence for legal ownership over the rights to all removals and reductions that will be claimed.
Projects must provide a brief technical description of the Project activity in accessible language. This should include information on facilities and equipment, the age and average lifespan of equipment, descriptions of technologies, products, services and infrastructure to be utilised, and all further information essential to understanding how carbon removal or emissions reduction is achieved by the Project.
To mitigate the risks of double counting and scheme-hopping, Projects undergoing Validation must disclose any participation in other carbon standards or registries within the past five years, provide recent validation and verification audit reports (including findings and any suspensions or withdrawals), and state whether they withdrew from any prior scheme before completing a first verification.
Protocol & monitoring data
Protocol & monitoring data
How will you be measuring, monitoring and maintaining carbon removal, including data models and risk assessments.
Projects must report a list of all input variables used in the net CO₂e removal calculation and their uncertainties.
For verification, Projects must conduct a sensitivity analysis that demonstrates the impact of each input parameter’s uncertainty on the final net CO₂e uncertainty. For validation, Projects must describe how the sensitivity analysis will be performed and explicitly state whether they will use Certify
Projects must specify whether they used conservative estimates of input parameters, variance propagation and/or Monte Carlo simulations in consideration of uncertainty (one or multiple options).
Projects must state if they are opting to pursue a combined 200 and 1000 year durability option.
Projects crediting non-permanent emission impacts must demonstrate a durability in excess of the designated project durability threshold.
Projects crediting non-permanent emission impacts must select from the durability threshold(s) defined in the protocol or module to be the project durability threshold.
Projects must assess biochar removal risk for fuel use. If material risk exists, project must report the particle size distribution and provide justification that the biochar will not be collected or used for combustion.
Projects must confirm whether they stockpile biochar between production and end use.
Projects crediting non-permanent emission impacts must complete the protocol or module specific risk assessment to support the risk of reversal and buffer pool size.
Projects must define the temporal and geographic project boundary.
Projects must provide a detailed description of the GHG statement approach and methodology in relation to calculations.
Projects must define their system boundary to include all sources, sinks, and reservoirs (SSRs) and their associated GHGs as specified in the relevant protocol. Any GHG SSR that is excluded from the system boundary must be clearly identified and supported by robust justification and evidence where applicable.
Projects must demonstrate Financial Additionality by evidencing removals and/or reductions are the main purpose and only source of revenue; OR demonstrating that economic barriers would prevent project implementation in the absence of carbon finance.
Projects must evaluate leakage by providing a robust assessment of the potential increases in GHG emissions outside the system boundary that occurs as a result of the project activity.
Projects must assert the method(s) for compliance with regulations for all jurisdictions to which the project is beholden.
Projects must demonstrate that activities similar to the activities of the proposed project are not common practice.
Projects must demonstrate Regulatory Additionality by evidencing that the project is not required by existing laws, regulations, policies, or other binding obligations.
Projects must reason and evidence the baseline scenario of their activities having not taken place. Projects will only be credited for removals or reductions above this counterfactual baseline.
Projects must describe and justify any models used for quantification, monitoring, and meeting specified protocol requirements.
Projects must demonstrate Environmental Additionality by evidencing the climate impact of the project. Removals must be net negative after subtracting the counterfactual CO2 removal and all project GHG emissions, including leakage, from project CO2 removals. Reductions must have a net emission reduction after subtracting the Counterfactual GHG CO2e reduction and all project GHG emissions, including leakage, from project CO2e reductions.
Projects must describe the data collection and storage approach taken, including how data is transmitted, collected and stored, the length of time for which records are archived, backup procedures and strategies and the person(s) / organization(s) responsible for measurement and data collection.
Environmental & social impacts
Environmental & social impacts
How will your project affect people and nature, and how will you manage any risks that arise.
Projects must describe and provide evidence for pollution prevention against Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals and any other pollutants identified.
Projects must demonstrate that it creates no net environmental harm through an environmental impact assessment. This assessment must include, but is not limited to, resource efficiency and pollution prevention and biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of living natural resources.
Projects must provide an overall assessment for the potential material environmental and social impacts, both within and beyond its boundary.
Projects must outline and detail compliance with applicable national and local laws and regulations.
Projects must demonstrate that it creates no net social harm by evaluating the potential negative social risks from a project’s implementation.
Projects must include a plan for information sharing, emergency response and conditions for stopping or pausing a deployment.
Projects must describe the conditions under which the project will be considered closed, and describe the project closure plan – outlining any post-cessation actions that will be undertaken upon closure of the project.
Projects must demonstrate how their carbon removal activities are consistent with relevant SDGs.
Stakeholder input process
Stakeholder input process
How will your project work with and respond to the community while staying compliant and adaptable.
Projects must outline the mechanism for stakeholders to voice, process and resolve grievances.
Projects must provide a description and documentation of how comments by local stakeholders have been invited and compiled, a summary of comments received, report on how due account was taken of comments received, and the date and location of the stakeholder consultation, providing photographic evidence where possible.
Pathway-specific
Pathway-specific
How will your project meet pathway-specific process requirements.
Projects must confirm their production batch definition is within the <1 month threshold (<7 days for combustion co-product)
Projects must confirm that their sampling plan, including sampling number, frequency, and analytical methods, is consistent with Methods A and B as defined in the protocol.
Projects must select the transition pathway used to monitor moisture in Method B: 1) Dry-weight measured every batch 2) consistent target moisture level or 3) moisture measured every batch
Projects must evidence they meet the additional sampling and analysis requirements specific to production in combustion co-product systems.
Projects must ensure that feedstock moisture is properly managed and verified to minimize CH₄ emissions associated with inefficient pyrolysis.
Projects must demonstrate that any payment model in which operators receive compensation for biochar production does not incentivize production volume over outcomes.
Projects must evidence the training program in place for technicians to ensure the safe, efficient, and standardized production of biochar.
Project must provide a process and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) or engineering design diagram of the chemical reactor. The diagram must include all measurement sensors (e.g. temperature, pressure, flow) with labels identifying sensor type and location
Projects must include detailed information on the selection of materials used for each reactor component, along with a justification of these choices from the perspectives of thermal and mechanical resilience.
Projects must describe and evidence an appropriate reactor maintenance plan.
If the reactor is at high pressure (>0.5 Bar above ambient pressure), projects must detect and quantify any loss of pyrolysis gases during operation either through flow sensors combined with a reactor model, continuous pressure monitoring, or annual testing through an accredited leakage testing authority.
Projects must evidence they meet the additional system eligibility criteria specific to production in combustion co-product systems.
Projects must evidence they meet the additional quantification and monitoring eligibility criteria specific to distributed and small scale projects.
Projects must select the method used to monitor stack emissions for CH₄, N₂O, CO, and CO₂: 1) Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS) — providing logged data across the full reporting period or 2) Periodic emissions testing — conducted at a minimum frequency of once a year by an accredited third-party provider
Projects must confirm which of the four permissible end-use emissions accounting approaches for the produced pyrolysis gasses they plan to use. This includes venting, venting after an emissions control system, combustion of gases for energy recovery and/or provision of gases to a third party.
Projects must provide evidence demonstrating that CO2 is stored in the built environment through the incorporation of biochar into the built materials.
Projects must provide evidence demonstrating that construction materials with biochar incorporated meet the same performance requirements as conventional products.
Projects must provide evidence demonstrating that construction materials do not require additional installation/maintenance products.
Projects must specify contaminant monitoring plan, including potential impact on product quality and the surrounding environment, specific contaminants to be tracked and the frequency of testing.
Projects must provide applicable environmental legal and regulatory requirements.
Projects must provide details of how measurements relevant to regulatory requirements are carried out.
Projects must provide evidence demonstrating that all emissions related to biochar storage are fully accounted for within the Project system boundary.
Projects must perform chemical analysis required for biochar characterization.
Projects must describe biochar characterization and the approach to ongoing monitoring requirements.
Projects must provide a detailed bulleted list of the relevant standards that have been utilized in the biochar characterization.
Projects must confirm they have obtained or will obtain data for all required physical and chemical biochar measurements. If available, projects must provide the measurement values for each parameter.
Projects must provide detailed descriptions of project boundaries for all Crediting activities.
Projects must report a set of at least 500 measurements of R0 calculated at the maceral level for each sample of their biochar.
Projects must provide detailed information on the end material production process.
Projects must provide documentations verifying biochar incorporation.
Projects must provide an engineering design diagram.
Projects must provide evidence demonstrating the products are in compliance with relevant standards and the products are comparable with traditional products.
If projects are targeting 200-year durability, details on the method or approach used for annual average soil temperature calculation must be provided.
Projects must provide a clear chain of custody diagram or equivalent.
Projects crediting non-permanent emission impacts must create a table that outlines all monitored parameters in their selected protocol and modules.
Projects must document in the PDD how contaminant levels that may impact soil quality and the surrounding environment will be monitored, including which contaminants will be monitored and the frequency of testing.
Projects must carry out oxygen monitoring at the waste management site for the full duration of the project until site closure, and must submit a detailed oxygen monitoring plan in the PDD.
Projects must describe in the PDD how the facility will monitor, collect, and treat landfill gas. Projects must also prepare a plan to address and manage odours and complaints from nearby properties.
Projects must specify which biochar deployment method(s) will be used: direct soil application, on-site mixing, and/or third-party mixing.
If pursuing on-site or third-party mixing, Projects must confirm their approach to: (1) integration method, (2) end-use definition, (3) custody tracking, and (4) reversal prevention.
If deploying through direct soil application, projects must confirm they will supply either of the following evidence: 1) Geotagged and timestamped visual evidence of stockpiles, spreading, and incorporation of biochar or 2) Project boundaries and logbook records
If pursuing on-site mixing, Projects must confirm provision of the following: facility records, batch records, photos/videos of active biochar integration per storage batch, and quantitative input/output tracking via weighbridge or inventory management systems.
Projects must confirm provision of the following for third-party biochar sales: legally binding purchaser affidavit covering intended use, geographical boundaries, mixing evidence agreements, 3-year agricultural company verification, and mixing timeframes. In addition, project must also confirm provision of sales invoices or transfer records with delivery documentation, photos/videos of active biochar integration per storage batch, and quantitative input/output tracking via weighbridge or inventory management systems.
Projects must evidence that they meet the applicability criteria specific to low oxygen burial storage, including 1) a valid permit 2) burial must be within 1 week of application and biochar must not be removed once applied 3) storage in a functionally anoxic environment and 4) located in the US, Canada, United Kingdom and European Union
Projects must permanently contain all stored biochar at the storage site. The PDD must include a detailed description of the liner system, leak detection system, leachate collection and removal systems, and measures to prevent run-on and run-off.
Projects must provide a closure plan in the PDD describing how the site will be closed and maintained after biochar burial activities have concluded. The plan must include: 1) a final closure description; 2) an estimate of hazardous additives; 3) closure methods; 4) post-closure steps; 5) a closure schedule; and 6) surface water run-on and run-off procedures.
Projects must develop all records associated with characterisation, design, construction, burial operations, monitoring, site closure, and site maintenance, and submit them to the relevant permitting authorities as required.
Projects must confirm they have obtained or will obtain data for all required physical and chemical biochar measurements. If available, projects must provide the measurement values for each parameter.
Projects must designate the quantification framework (Option 1 or Option 2) that will be used for crediting, and clearly outline the framework and corresponding durability in the PDD.
Projects selecting Option 1 must comply with all Option 1 requirements for R0 measurement, incubation experiments, and conservative estimation of GHG production as specified in the module
Projects selecting Option 2 must report at least 500 maceral-level measurements of Random Reflectance (R0) for quantifying the stable fraction of buried biochar.
Projects must calculate Replacement Emissions to account for counterfactual CO2 sequestration from vegetation present on the site prior to clearing, using annual sequestration rates over a 15-year period.
Projects must provide detailed information on the following site characteristics and demonstrate that they pose limited risk to the Project. This must include consideration of 1) Surface water 2) Ground water 3) Local geology and 4) Seismicity
Projects must incorporate a legally binding mechanism on the storage site — such as a conservation easement, covenant, or equivalent restrictive agreement — that provides legal protection against biochar disturbance for 1,000 years or in perpetuity.