Verra has released VM0044 Methodology for Biochar Utilization in Soil and Non-Soil Applications, v1.0 that sets out procedures for quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from producing biochar and using it in approved soil and non-soil applications.
Biochar is a charcoal-like carbon-rich, solid material created from biomass – e.g., wood chips, agricultural residues, or animal manure – subjected to high heat and limited-oxygen environments. When incorporated into soils, it is 10 to 100 times more stable than the feedstock from which it was produced, and a substantial amount of biochar’s organic carbon will persist in soil for decades to millennia. Ample scientific research on soil and non-soil applications supports biochar’s significant climate change mitigation potential when deployed on a global scale; according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2019 Special Report (PDF), biochar could deliver a mitigation potential of 1 Gt CO2 per year by 2050 (conservative estimate).
Verra’s new VCS biochar methodology employs a comprehensive monitoring and accounting framework that captures the GHG impacts in three important stages of the biochar value chain: feedstock sourcing, biochar production, and end-use application. The methodology accounts for biochar use in agricultural soils – where it delivers additional proven benefits such as moisture and nutrient retention, and enhanced crop yields – and in emerging low-emissions non-soil products such as biochar-amended concrete and building materials.
Verra will host two one-hour webinars to launch the methodology:
Friday, 9 September: Watch the Recording (vimeo)
Tuesday, 20 September: Watch the Recording (vimeo)
For questions related to this methodology, please contact Stefan Jirka, Senior Manager, Agriculture Innovation, (sjirka@verra.org).