Biochar for Carbon Removal in India

Biochar has emerged as a promising tool ahead of the 2026 launch of India’s carbon market, with potential applications in carbon removal and sustainable development.

What is Biochar and Why is it Important?

Definition and Origin:

• Biochar is a carbon-rich, charcoal-like substance produced through pyrolysis of organic waste such as agricultural residue and municipal solid waste.

Role in Waste Management:

• India generates 600+ million tonnes of agri-residue and 60+ million tonnes of solid waste annually. Biochar provides a sustainable method to process this waste, reducing open burning and landfill use.

Climate Mitigation Potential:

• Use of 30–50% of surplus biomass could remove 0.1 Gt of CO?-equivalent per year, helping meet India’s climate targets.

Applications:

• Agriculture and Soil Restoration:
  • Carbon Sink Potential: Biochar can lock carbon in the soil for 100–1,000 years, serving as a long-term carbon sink.
  • Soil Benefits: Enhances soil organic carbon, improves water retention, and reduces fertilizer demand by 10–20%.
  • Nitrous Oxide Reduction: Can reduce N?O emissions by 30–50%. Given its 273× warming potential compared to CO?, this is a significant gain.
• Energy and Fuel Substitution:
  • By-products as Fuel: Syngas and bio-oil produced during pyrolysis can generate 8–13 TWh electricity and replace 12–19 million tonnes of diesel or kerosene.
  • Coal Displacement: Could replace 0.4–0.7 million tonnes of coal annually, further reducing fossil fuel reliance.
• Construction Sector:
  • Low-carbon Building Material: Adding 2–5% biochar to concrete enhances strength, improves thermal resistance by 20%, and captures 115 kg CO? per cubic metre.
• Wastewater Treatment:
  • Pollution Control: A kg of biochar can treat 200–500 litres of wastewater. With 70+ billion litres of wastewater generated daily in India, the demand potential is 2.5–6.3 million tonnes.

Barriers to Biochar Adoption

• Lack of Standards and Carbon Accounting: Absence of standardised feedstock protocols and carbon verification reduces investor trust in biochar projects.
• Limited Policy Support: Biochar remains excluded from mainstream crop residue or energy policies, and monitoring frameworks are weak.
• Technological and Market Uncertainties: R&D is nascent; deployment is restricted by lack of awareness, business models, and coordination across agriculture, energy, and climate sectors

Steps for Enabling Large-Scale Adoption:

• Integrate into Policy Frameworks: Include biochar in crop residue management, rural energy missions, and State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs).
• Standardisation and Research: Develop region-specific feedstock and pyrolysis standards. Optimise usage per agro-climatic zone.
• Recognise in Carbon Market: Certify biochar as a verifiable carbon removal method in India’s upcoming carbon market to unlock carbon credit income for rural stakeholders.
• Rural Employment Generation: Deploy decentralised pyrolysis units to create ~5.2 lakh rural jobs, linking climate action with inclusive development.