A 101 on this scalable technology for carbon dioxide removal
This post originally appeared on the International Biochar Initiative’s LinkedIn blog.
Author: Lauren Boritzke Smith, Climate Change Communications Lead at the International Biochar Initiative
At this year’s COP30, Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) will take center stage like never before with the first-ever CDR Pavilion in the Blue Zone!
Among the range of existing CDR technologies, one of the tools in the toolbox stands out for its simplicity, scalability, and deliverability: biochar. The idea behind it is simple: Take plant material that has already absorbed CO₂, turn it into something stable, and lock that carbon away (for hundreds to thousands of years) instead of letting it go back into the atmosphere.
What is Biochar?
Biochar is, at its core, carbon captured in solid form. It’s created by heating up plant waste (things like crop residues, forest trimmings, or sewage sludge) in a low-oxygen environment. This process is called pyrolysis. Rather than burning up and releasing CO₂, the carbon in that biomass is trapped in a charcoal-like material.
Biochar has origins as a 1,000+ year-old technique used by Indigenous peoples in the Amazon basin, who used a similar method to enrich their soils, creating what we know as “terra preta” today.
Biochar producers use local waste biomass streams, typically producing it close to the feedstock source to avoid costly transportation, and most importantly, use a feedstock that would otherwise be unused, decomposing, or put in landfills. The gases from creating biochar can be combusted and used to produce heat or electricity, or they can be captured and processed into liquid biofuels.
The physical properties of biochar are unique and impressive. It’s a highly porous material. Did you know that one gram of biochar has the surface area of two tennis courts? This characteristic is exactly what makes biochar such a CDR-dense material. The opportunities for its use can range from soil-based application to incorporating it in creative new products — like biochar-based snowboards or graphene for niche applications.
Why Biochar Matters for CDR
Biochar relies on something nature already does well: pulling CO₂ out of the air through plant photosynthesis. Biochar provides a path to create circular systems that prevent the carbon from cycling right back into the atmosphere.
The market for biochar carbon removal is accelerating rapidly. In just the first half of 2025, companies sold about 1.6 million tons of biochar removal credits. This is nearly doubling the pace from the year before! Biochar now makes up over 80% of all durable carbon removal sales and more than 90% of actually delivered carbon removal credits, according to CDR.fyi.
Biochar’s Co-Benefits
While biochar is a powerful tool for mitigating the effects of climate change from the CDR perspective, it also has a multitude of co-benefits in agriculture and other industries, able to restore ecosystems and move our societies towards a circular, sustainable future.
Agriculture: when biochar is added to soils, there are a number of positive impacts, including:
– Enhancing soil health
– Reducing acidity
– Improving water retention and drainage
– Increasing microbial diversity
– Reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers
Waste Management: biochar provides an alternative to open dumping or pile burning waste, while also
– Converting waste into a valuable resource
– Destroying contaminants like PFAS
– Curbing odors
– Mitigating landfill contamination
Industrial Uses & Built Environment: biochar can be used in production and construction to replace materials of fossil and mineral origin, while still
– Improving thermal insulation
– Preserving structural integrity
Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells: biochar can fill defunct wells, providing an opportunity to
– Filter harmful gas leaks
– Block the formation of certain greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane
Landscape Management and Conservation: biochar provides the conditions for thriving microbial biodiversity, in addition to
– Decreasing spread of invasive species
– Providing an end use for invasive species reduction projects
Forest Management: biochar can be used before and after fires to
– Enrich forest soils
– Provide end-use for fire reduction projects
– Create carbon credit benefits
– Reduce particulate air pollution from open pile burning
Land and Water Remediation: biochar can absorb and immobilize heavy metals and organic contaminants, providing the opportunity to
– Remove pollutants like PFAS
– Remove sulfur compounds from gases
Operating with Integrity: Biochar CDR Methodologies and Verification
As the industry continues to grow, ensuring that carbon stays locked away is critical.
In order to register and sell sequestered carbon as carbon credits, biochar producers must align their activities with the requirements of a certification standard and follow its methodologies to quantify and monitor the greenhouse gases emitted and sequestered from their activities. The main eligibility components of biochar projects involve the evaluation of a biochar’s feedstock, production facility, and end-use application.
Methodologies establish standards for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV), helping buyers trust that each ton of CO₂ removed is actually happening. It’s real and it’s durable.
Biochar is not a substitute for cutting emissions. They help us go beyond net zero, actually reversing part of the buildup of atmospheric carbon. But to realize the full potential of biochar, more investment, awareness, and global policies are needed.
To meet the global climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement, we need a whole range of solutions that remove and store carbon. Biochar is a powerful part of this mix, while creating co-benefits for communities, agriculture, and ecosystems.
