Requirements for Biochar

Project setup

Essential project details including who's involved, the location of your project, and how much carbon will be removed.

Protocol & monitoring data

How will you be measuring, monitoring and maintaining carbon removal, including data models and risk assessments.

Projects must define their temporal and geographic boundary.

Projects must report the boundaries of the project area, either through maps with clearly demarcated boundaries, the GPS coordinates for those boundaries, or the GPS coordinates for the sites at which biochar is applied. Alternatively, Project may choose to use geo-tagged and dated photo files and/or video files to provide evidence of biochar being spread.

Projects must limit project boundaries up to the point where variations in soil temperature do not materially impact the durability of the stored carbon.

The average annual soil temperature variation within the stated Project boundaries must not exceed 1oC above the temperature used for carbon removal quantification.

If the soil temperature variation exceeds 1oC then the Project must be further divided, or the most conservative temperature value within the project area must be used for the crediting quantification.

Projects that wish to specify project boundaries spanning large project areas, justification should be provided that land management practices are consistent across that project area.

Project Proponents should outline a full description of site conditions, including justification of how site suitability was chosen bearing in mind environmental and anthropic factors.

Projects must define their system boundary and outline all GHGs considered across all sources, sinks and reservoirs (SSRs).

System boundaries must include the construction/manufacturing of each physical site and associated equipment.

System boundaries must include the operation of each process.

System boundaries must include the closure and disposal of each site and associated equipment.

Projects must include all GHG SSRs from the construction or manufacturing of any project-specific physical site and associated equipment; closure and disposal of each site and associated equipment; and operation of each process.

Any emissions from sub-processes or process changes that would not have taken place without the CDR project must be fully considered in the system boundary.

Any activity that ultimately leads to the issuance of Credits should be included in the system boundary.

The system boundary must include all SSRs controlled by and related to the Project, including but not limited to the SSRs in Figure 1 and Table 1.

The Project Proponent must consider all GHGs associated with SSRs, in alignment with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of GHGs.

All GHGs must be quantified and converted to CO₂e in the GHG Statement using the 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP).

The Project Proponent must identify any miscellaneous emissions.

Emissions associated with a project's impact on activities that fall outside of the system boundary of a project must also be considered.

Projects must provide information on the GHG statement approach and methodology in relation to calculations.

Environmental & social impacts

How will your project affect people and nature, and how will you manage any risks that arise.

Stakeholder input process

How will your project work with and respond to the community while staying compliant and adaptable.

Pathway-specific

How will your project meet pathway-specific process requirements.

Projects must describe and provide an engineering design diagram of the chemical reactor used to achieve pyrolysis.

The design diagram must include details of the dimensions of the reactor, the locations of material inflows/outflows, the positioning of sensors for the monitoring of temperature/pressure, details of any internal equipment such as agitators or heating/cooling coils and details of any external heat transfer equipment.

A sufficient number of viewpoints must be included in the engineering design diagram to show the positioning of all of the key components.

Any other process equipment essential to the safe and effective operation of the pyrolyzer not listed should be included and highlighted in the engineering design diagram.

Projects must describe and evidence the sensors used to quantify any loss of pyrolysis gasses during operation of the reactor to leakage.

This should include, at minimum, sensors to determine the outflow of pyrolysis gasses from the flue gas outlet, which can be used in conjunction with a suitable reactor model to determine the amount of pyrolysis gasses produced and to estimate any loss of these gasses by unmonitored and unintentional leakage to the environment.

The chemical reactor model used to characterize reactor performance and estimate pyrolysis gas losses should consider all physical and chemical mechanisms relevant to the operation of the chosen reactor type.

The chemical reactor model should incorporate a chemical kinetics model which is based on the latest scientific understanding for the chosen reactor configuration.

The model should be demonstrated to be validated using empirical data and should include a process mass balance accounting for the product yields.

Where high-quality mathematical reactor models aren't possible, it is permissible to deploy alternative approaches, such as continuous measurement of system pressure or regular leakage testing.

For continuous measurement of system pressure, projects must demonstrate that the pressure of the reactor vessel during project operations is consistently sub-atmospheric and measured using a calibrated sensor.

For regular leakage assessments, projects should conduct tests according to prevailing national/international standards, and/or by an accredited leakage testing authority, at least once every twelve months.

Projects must describe the selection of materials for each component of the reactor, including suitable justification of these choices from the perspectives of thermal and mechanical resilience.

For reactors operating at high pressures, considerations should be made relating to the operating pressure, vessel shape/size, positioning of material inlets/outlets, and positioning of sensors to ensure mechanical integrity of the reaction vessel.

Considerations should be made in compliance with a suitable local standard which provides regulations for the design and fabrication of pressure vessels, such as 2014/68/EU (the "Pressure Equipment Directive") or an appropriate regional equivalent standard in the region of project operation.

If no regional standard exists in the region of operation, Project Proponents must use the 2014/68/EU standard.

Projects must describe and evidence an appropriate reactor maintenance plan.

The maintenance plan should outline how the Project Proponent will ensure the structural integrity of the reactor vessel to mitigate against potential material loss events.

This includes suitable monitoring and mitigation for mechanical and thermal degradation events which may lead to the failure of the vessel and subsequent release of materials into the environment.

All maintenance plans should be in compliance with a suitable local standard which provides regulations for the maintenance of pressure vessels, such as 2014/68/EU or an appropriate regional equivalent standard in the region of project operation.

Projects must provide a detailed bulleted list of the relevant standards that have been utilized in the biochar characterization.

Projects must provide provide a detailed bulleted list of the relevant standards that have been utilized for measuring the biochar physical properties.

Projects must provide provide a detailed bulleted list of the relevant standards that have been utilized for measuring the biochar chemical properties.

Projects should provide the details of any measurements of biochar physical properties that have been taken.

Projects should provide details of the specific surface analysis (BET).

Projects should provide details of the porosity analysis.

Projects should provide details of the specific external surface area analysis.

Projects should provide the details of any measurements of biochar chemical properties that have been taken.

Projects must provide details for the completed carbon content analysis.

Projects must provide details for the moisture content analysis.

Projects must provide details for the H/Corg calculation and analysis.

Projects must provide details for the O/Corg calculation and analysis.

Projects should provide details for the volatile matter analysis.

If projects are not measuring fixed carbon content, details for the fixed carbon content analysis must be provided.

Projects must provide details for the ash content analysis.

Projects should provide details for the PAHs (sum of USEPA 16) analysis.

Projects should provide details for the pH analysis.

Projects should provide details for the Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) analysis.

Projects should provide details for the Bulk Carbon Bonding State analysis.

Projects should provide details for the External surface carbon bonding state composition analysis.

Projects must report the analytical laboratory/laboratories that have been utilized for the biochar characterization.

Projects must ensure that the chosen analytical facilities are reputable and conduct characterization techniques to the required standards.

A qualified laboratory is evidenced by accreditation to ISO 17025 or equivalent standards for laboratory quality management for the specific test method.

Projects must report calibration records from analytical facilities to the relevant VVB when submitting biochar characterization data.

Projects must describe and evidence their QA/QC processes for characterization data.

Work with us as a Biochar supplier

List of Biochar requirements