We track the progress of a carbon removal project through our certification framework. This roadmap moves from a preliminary assessment of eligibility toward full certification under the Puro Standard.
The facility has successfully completed the preliminary assessment conducted by the Puro team, meeting the minimum criteria for listing as a future supplier on Puro.earth.
The facility has passed the third-party facility audit, verifying compliance with the methodology, as well as output audit, verifying the net volume of removed carbon. The facility has been issued CORCs and continues its removal operations, as well as monitoring and reporting to Puro.earth.
Development status
We monitor a facility’s maturity as it moves toward industrial-scale operations. This status identifies whether a project is in development, under construction, or actively removing carbon from the atmosphere.
The feasibility study is ongoing. The Supplier is still collecting data to prove the concept.
The front-end engineering and design are ready and methodology compliant. There is a clear plan to monitor and measure. The LCA is up to the needed quality level or subject to small improvements. The technology has been used before. There are commercial agreements with the relevant business partners of the facility.
The facility is fully funded and is being implemented. Relevant infrastructure is being built.
The facility is operating as a carbon removal facility.
information
More about Sanbra Foods Biochar
The Sanbra Foods Biochar project is establishing a biochar production facility in Ghana’s cocoa-growing region. Operated by Sanbra Foods, a trusted agricultural processor with a robust network of smallholder farmers in Ghana, the project will convert an estimated 15,800 tons of cocoa pod husks annually into high-quality biochar through thermal decomposition using a rotary kiln pyrolysis system.
This initiative is designed to both mitigate climate change and improve smallholder farmer livelihoods. Biochar produced will be applied as a soil amendment on farms and community land to increase crop productivity, improve soil health, and sequester atmospheric carbon for over 1,000 years. In the absence of this project, cocoa pod husks are left to decay and emit CO₂ and methane, contributing to climate and air quality issues.
This project addresses a critical challenge in the Ghanaian cocoa industry: the lack of sustainable waste disposal and declining soil health due to continuous monoculture practices. By thermochemically stabilizing this agricultural waste, the project creates a carbon-rich material that, when applied to soil, improves nutrient retention, water-holding capacity, and microbial activity—key to long-term agricultural resilience.
The project is expected to remove an estimated 8,500 tCO₂e per year and generate certified CORCs under the Puro.earth biochar methodology.
Terraton is a US technology company, a project developer, and is the project owner for the Sanbra Foods Biochar project. Terraton is building the first and only Carbon ERP (C-ERP) solution and is focused on making Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) businesses more accessible and scalable. As global emissions continue to rise, Terraton's mission is to facilitate the setup of thousands of carbon removal facilities in the coming decade, aiming to remove up to 10 gigatons of CO2 annually. Through its innovative technology platform, Terraton provides tailored solutions for CDR facilities, helping to reduce the complexity and risk associated with carbon capture operations. The platform includes templates to help businesses get started, tools to optimize agricultural waste, and access to financing for building more carbon removal facilities. Additionally, the platform streamlines the process of creating, selling, and purchasing carbon credits, transforming carbon capture into a practical, profitable business by partnering with agricultural businesses in emerging markets.
The project generates significant environmental, economic, and social benefits for farming communities. Through Sanbra Foods’ existing sourcing network, over 1,000 cocoa farmers gain a new income stream by supplying pod husks, traditionally considered an unusable byproduct. These payments, ranging from $5–8 per ton, help diversify rural income and reduce economic vulnerability during the off-season. The project also contributes to local employment by creating up to 20 direct jobs in feedstock handling, pyrolysis operations, and biochar distribution, many of which are targeted toward youth and women in the community.
From an agronomic perspective, biochar produced on-site is mixed with Sanbra Foods’ existing compost and organic fertilizer business, then redistributed to local farms as a regenerative soil amendment. The mixed biochar supports climate-resilient farming by enhancing yields, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers, and improving soil health metrics such as pH stability and microbial activity. Moreover, the shift from open burning and decay to controlled pyrolysis dramatically reduces particulate emissions and methane release, improving air quality for surrounding villages.
This model of circular agriculture and rural innovation demonstrates how Ghanaian enterprises like Sanbra Foods can lead in sustainable development while contributing to global climate targets.
sdgs
Sustainable development goals
Only listed sustainable development goals (SDGs) have been assessed according to the Puro standard SDG Assessment Requirements and validated and verified by a VVB.
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