From husks to soil health and carbon removal: the power of biochar to change the game.

This post originally appeared on the International Biochar Initiative’s LinkedIn blog.

Author: Valeria Araico, Operations and Programs Senior Manager at the International Biochar Initiative

What used to be seen as waste can now play a powerful role in addressing climate change. The opportunity can live right beneath our feet in the form of biochar.

Biomass Waste No More

Agricultural residues like husks, pulp, prunings, or straw were once considered a burden; expensive to manage and often burned, releasing pollution and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Through biochar production, these same residues can be transformed into a regenerative product: a material that restores soils, removes carbon for centuries, and creates new economic opportunities.

This climate technology isn’t entirely new. Centuries ago, Indigenous communities in the Amazon created fertile soils known as terra preta, proof that biochar is not just an innovation of today, but an ancient practice of resilience.

As COP30 comes to Brazil — which some might call the “birth place” of biochar — this legacy takes on new meaning. What was once traditional knowledge is now being scaled as a global climate change solution.

The Impact of Biochar on Agricultural Industries

In 2023, a study reported that an approximate 2.4 billion metric tons of carbon (≈ 8.8 billion metric tons CO₂ equivalent) are generated per year in crop residues globally. Furthermore, if all of that waste was converted to biochar, it would equate 1 gigatonne of carbon stored per year.

The opportunities of biochar in agriculture go beyond just carbon storage as well.

1. Closing the Circle

Instead of a linear path of use to waste, biochar turns environmental liabilities into assets. Instead of piles of waste that pollute air and water, residues become a source of resilience and value for farmers, communities, and the climate. It creates a circular system that reduces harmful byproducts.

Learn more about common feedstocks that biochar is made from.

2. Multiple Benefits at Once

Biochar is not just about locking carbon away. It brings a suite of proven co-benefits:

Stronger soils with improved fertility, water retention, and enhanced microbial activity. It also helps moderate soil pH and reduce nitrogen leaching.

Reduced dependence on chemical fertilizers, since biochar helps soils hold on to nutrients and make them available for plants.

Better yields and incomes for farmers, backed by field studies showing enhanced crop productivity, economic performance, and fertilizer use efficiency.

Lower methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, when residues are converted to biochar instead of being burned or left to rot.

3. Scalable and Replicable

Biochar is not a niche solution. Coffee, sugarcane, rice, and maize, all produce residues that can be turned into biochar. That means the potential is everywhere. What starts as a pilot in Colombia can easily inspire similar models in Cambodia, Kenya, or Mexico.

Coffee processing generates millions of tonnes of residues every year, including husks, pulp, mucilage, and silverskin. Depending on the method and region, husks alone can account for around 10-20% of bean weight, representing well over a million tonnes annually worldwide. When adding pulp and other byproducts, the total waste stream rises to several million tonnes. This is an enormous unused resource that could be put to work instead of being left to pollute.

4. Economic Opportunity

Biochar doesn’t just solve a waste problem, it opens doors to new value streams:

Carbon credits and climate finance: Biochar has been recognized by emerging carbon markets (e.g., Puro.earth, Verra).

Heat or energy as co-products: Residues turned into biochar also provide renewable heat for drying crops like coffee or maize.

Cleaner value chains: Buyers of coffee, cacao, and other commodities are demanding more sustainable practices. Biochar makes that possible.

5. Climate Justice and Local Resilience

Biochar is an especially powerful tool in the Global South, where farmers and communities face the harshest impacts of climate change but contribute the least to its causes. It offers communities practical, climate-friendly tools to adapt and thrive, even with fewer resources or infrastructure. reduces dependence on expensive, imported fertilizers and keeps resources circulating locally, strengthening food security and livelihoods. By empowering communities with a low-cost, decentralized solution, biochar can shift power back into local hands to  build equity, dignity, and self-reliance.

Into the Future

From waste to wealth, from liability to opportunity, biochar shows us that transformation is not just possible, it’s already happening. The next step: scaling it equitably, where it matters most.