By Elias Azzi, Head of Eligibility

Biochar has emerged as one of the most scalable and cost-effective forms of CO2 removal (CDR). Deliveries of biochar removals have grown rapidly — achieving 658,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) since the start of 2022. Retirements have also surged, with 302,000 tCO2e retired by the end of Q2 2025, both more than doubling since the start of 2022.

Governments are starting to take notice. The latest draft of the EU’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming framework includes biochar on the list of approved methodologies. The European Commission will start to accept applications for certification schemes in early 2026.

What sets biochar apart is its versatility: it can be produced in different contexts, from a range of biomass feedstocks, used in diverse ways that often deliver agronomic and social co-benefits. As biochar continues to scale, there are clear factors that will drive its trajectory: advanced production technologies; locally tailored uses; monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) tools; and refinements to biochar persistence science.

Advanced production technologies and locally tailored uses are areas of innovation that will make biochar systems more impactful on the ground. Getting persistence science and MRV right is critical for the credibility and efficiency of CDR certification. For biochar to achieve climate-relevant scale, standards, suppliers and the wider ecosystem must evolve in step with these advancements. They must consider and use the innovations where appropriate. And where solutions do not yet exist, the ecosystem must work collaboratively to address this. Constant improvement and embracing innovation are needed across every sector and industry. Biochar is no different.

Advanced technologies
On the production side, innovation is accelerating across the biochar value chain. One important area is biomass pre-processing, where handling heterogeneous feedstocks, especially agricultural residues, remains a practical challenge. Issues such as clogging, inconsistent particle size, or equipment wear can affect process stability and throughput. Many projects are actively solving these engineering constraints through improved shredding, drying, and feeding systems, making biochar production more reliable and scalable.

A second area of momentum is the higher-value use of co-products. While many projects still flare excess gases or use them only for low-grade heat and steam production, a growing number of innovators are developing technologies that convert these streams into higher-value products, including power, advanced biofuels, and platform biochemicals. These solutions enhance project economics and also increase overall climate impact by displacing fossil-based alternatives.

Finally, reactor automation and monitoring technologies are rapidly evolving. Integration of sensors and control systems enables more stable operating conditions, improved consistency in biochar properties, and better traceability, features increasingly important for both producers and removal certification.
Understanding the innovations that are already underway, and where more work needs to be done helps to outline routes for biochar to scale as a major form of CDR.

Biochar tailored to local needs
Biochar application to agricultural soils remains the most established use, but effectiveness varies with local agricultural conditions, such as soil type, crop system, or climate. This creates a clear need for more locally driven, applied research. At the same time, new biochar-based agricultural products such as fertiliser blends are beginning to emerge in certain areas, helping farmers adopt biochar in more practical and consistent ways.

There is also strong momentum to use biochar in building materials. When incorporated into products like concrete or asphalt, biochar can offer performance benefits such as improved strength, durability, or thermal properties. Achieving those benefits, beyond carbon storage alone, requires careful product formulations. Multiple actors in Europe, North America, as well as Southeast Asia are active in this domain.

Biochar use in gardening and retail products is also emerging as an application. In many regions, particularly in North America where the market has strong growth potential. For biochar producers, this segment can provide an important revenue stream. It also carries environmental benefits, as biochar can substitute materials such as perlite and peat.

However, certifying CDR for biochar used in retail products has historically been challenging. The main concern has been the potential risk of carbon reversal if products are improperly disposed of or misused by end consumers. Addressing this risk is essential to ensure that credits issued in this segment meet the same integrity expectations as other durable carbon removal pathways.

Following collaboration with the US Biochar Initiative and other industry stakeholders, Puro’s advisory board approved a rule change in early December to address some of these challenges.

The update enables the issuance of CO2 Removal Certificates (CORCs) for biochar used in retail gardening products under clearly defined conditions. These include requirements on product formulation, packaging and labelling, alongside conservative, country-specific discount factors to account for residual risk. The rule change has been formally published in Puro.earth Biochar Methodology, Edition 2025 (Version 2).

MRV tools
The third area is innovation in MRV tools. The drive towards integrity in the voluntary carbon market has placed increased demands on robust and dynamic monitoring and reporting. This requires projects to collect, calculate, and synthesise growing volumes of data, from biomass sustainability evidence to evidence of biochar use across complex supply chains. This administrative burden can be substantial.

Fortunately, specialised software solutions are emerging to streamline these tasks. Several service providers now offer digital tools that integrate directly with biochar production operations, enabling automated tracking of biomass inputs, production data, and logistics. Some biochar producers are even building their own systems. This is a fast-moving and innovative space, and improvements here will be essential to reducing project costs and unlocking scale.

At the same time, buyers and project developers increasingly expect more frequent, faster issuance of credits. Meeting this expectation requires standards and verifiers to update their verification practices, albeit without compromising quality or independence.

Here again, Puro.earth is working with the ecosystem to offer innovative solutions, including, among others, digital audit trails and selective automation of routine checks. As these innovations mature, they will reshape the technical requirements that both standards and projects must meet to enable very high-frequency and data-driven issuances.

Persistence science: progress with caution
Finally, biochar persistence science continues to advance. There is no debate that biochar is a climate-relevant CDR solution: decay-based scientific models consistently show that a substantial fraction of biochar carbon persists for several centuries, providing a sound and conservative basis for durable carbon crediting.

At the same time, it is normal, and indeed healthy, that scholarly debate continues. Models are being refined and novel approaches tested, supported by a steady flow of academic publications. In this evolving landscape, both the market and standards have a responsibility to stay vigilant, while embracing new science once it is mature and consensus begins to form.

To support greater alignment across the sector, Puro.earth convened in October 2025 a cross-standard workshop on the future of biochar persistence, bringing together leading standards and researchers to explore pathways toward harmonization and research needs.

Puro.earth also raised this year its durability label from 100+ years to 200+ years in our 2025 biochar methodology, reflecting stronger confidence while resisting premature claims of durability lasting up to 1,000 years. This change was enabled by advances in biochar persistence science, resulting in the previous consensus now being reassessed as overly conservative.

Trust builds scale
Biochar has the potential to make a significant contribution to global CO2 removal and climate change mitigation. But its future depends not only on scaling volumes, but on maintaining credibility. This credibility rests on trust, built by applying science where it is strong while openly acknowledging where more data and innovation are needed.

Progress in the biochar sector must be interconnected. Advances in science, product development, and VCM practices should inform one another.

The industry needs to stay aligned: embracing promising new approaches, remaining conservative where appropriate, and working together through active collaboration. Only then will biochar scale responsibly and deliver its full climate potential.

This article was originally published in Quantum Commodity Intelligence’s Carbon Insights on 15th January 2026.