The teams at International Biochar Initiative and HAMERKOP have been hard at work updating the guide with the latest information on the carbon removal market, standards and methodologies, and more since the first edition was released in 2024.

The digital guide provides a roadmap for biochar producers, investors, and stakeholders keen on understanding the intricacies of biochar carbon removal certification. Readers gain a clear overview of the various methodologies established by leading certification standards, with the goal of offering practical insights and comparisons to assist producers and investors in selecting the most appropriate approach for their specific biochar projects.

Some of the main 2025 updates include: 

• A new and improved section covering MRV, permanence, and more 

• Updated pricing information for each biochar certification standard and detailed step-by-step guides to help you choose the right methodology for your project

• An addition of the Isometric biochar methodology to the overall matrix 

For all investigated concepts, the production and application of the Terra Preta Substrate (TPS) lead to negative emission results under the selected assumptions, resulting from an assumed carbon sequestration that exceeds the greenhouse gas emissions from the production of the TPS. Whereby, the concepts with advanced pyrolysis technology are the most advantageous due to the reduced CH4 emissions from pyrolysis.

Emissions of methane and nitrous oxide from composting and pyrolysis process are by far the most significant emission sources in the overall result. The result shows a high influence of carbon sequestration in the overall balance. The carbon introduced and permanently sequestered, mainly via the biochar, leads to high CO2 credits.

TPS production, including pyrolysis and composting processes, and the application to agricultural soils interact with the environment and climate system in multiple complex ways, this results in many uncertainties.

In order to reduce these ranges in the future and to further increase the robustness of the accounting results, measurements of actual emission values or sequestered carbon should be taken regularly during the further implementation and operation of the investigated technologies in India.

The Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) is a multi stakeholder partnership committed to scaling soil health, globally. CA4SH ’s membership base comprises stakeholders from member states, the private sector, research institutions, civil society, farmer organisations, multilateral organisations, and NGOs.

To leverage the wealth of knowledge and experiences from across our partners in addressing key challenges currently constraining farmers to implement healthy soil practices, CA4SH held a three-part virtual Webinar Series in early 2024. The 2024 Webinar Series was held over three sessions under the topics of bringing soil health into policy, science & knowledge for improving and monitoring soil health, and financing healthy soil practices. The objectives were to explore soil-related themes and share experiences with a focus on tailoring and scaling successful methodologies.

This brief summarizes the sessions, and coallates lessons learned, calls to action, and opportunities for scaling these approaches to align action on soil ahead of the 2024 Rio Conventions.