Biochar Utilization in Soil & Non-Soil Applications

In short

Durable carbon storage by producing biochar and applying it to soils and materials.

What it is

VM0044 quantifies carbon dioxide removals from converting waste biomass into biochar at new biochar production facilities. Eligible uses of the biochar include soil applications such as croplands and grasslands, and non-soil applications such as biochar-amended concrete and other building materials. The methodology is applicable globally and credits the durable carbon stored in biochar. Each credit, issued as a Verified Carbon Unit, represents one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent removed.

What it rewards

The reward is a credit called a Biochar Carbon Removal Unit (VCU-BCR). One credit stands for one tonne of carbon dioxide kept out of the atmosphere (or taken back out of it). One tonne of CO₂-equivalent verified-and-issued. A whole period of work is issued as one batch of credits at a time, in the same way a registry issues a batch.

What gets measured

To earn VCU-BCR credits, a project has to measure and prove a few things. An independent reviewer checks the evidence before any credits are issued.

• The baseline: what would most likely have happened to the land or the emissions if the project had not gone ahead.

• The activity data for the period, with clear units and a clear source for every number.

• The net result actually achieved, checked by an independent reviewer before any credits are issued.

Who takes part

• Standard Registry. Owns the policy, approves participants, anchors each issuance to its evidence.

• Project Proponent. Registers the project and submits monitoring reports.

• Validation & Verification Body. Independently validates the design and verifies monitored data.

How it works

1. 1

   The project team registers the project and its plan.

2. 2

   An independent reviewer checks that the plan is sound and that the benefit is real and would not have happened anyway.

3. 3

   The team looks after the site and measures the agreed indicators over time.

4. 4

   The independent reviewer verifies those measurements.

5. 5

   Credits are issued for the verified result, and a buyer can retire a credit to claim the benefit once.