Karbon-X, Laconic to develop biochar verification methodology

Quantum Commodity Intelligence – Two North American companies are teaming up to develop a new biochar verification methodology.

Canadian carbon marketing company Karbon-X and US environmental data provider Laconic Infrastructure Partners have signed a letter of intent to develop the methodology, which will initially aim to "ensure the accuracy and transparency of Karbon-X's reforestation project in the Chiquitania region of Bolivia," the companies said Monday.

The methodology will subsequently be applied to verify other biochar projects worldwide, they said.

Biochar is a carbon-rich substance mainly produced by a process called pyrolysis, which is the heating and/or burning of an element, such as plant and animal biomass that would otherwise be burnt or led to degrade, in an oxygen-absent, controlled environment.

Interest in the biochar industry has surged of late because of its ability to hold CO2 over hundreds of years, making it one of the few 'shovel ready' forms of carbon removal on the way to net zero.

But a bewildering array of feedstocks, specifications and potential applications has to an extent hampered the market's ability to develop at scale.

The Chiquitania reforestation Project, co-owned by Silviculture Systems Corp. and Karbon-X, aims to plant 5 million baru nut trees native to the region by 2025.

While the trees will sequester CO2 from the atmosphere and provide a food source, the project also plans to process the large husks produced by the baru nut trees into sustainable charcoal and biochar, Karbon-X said.

The new methodology – to be owned 65% by Karbon-X and 35% by Laconic - will combine Laconic's geospatial informatics platform with Karbon-X's expertise in carbon offset projects and reforestation initiatives, the companies said.

The methodology "will undergo rigorous testing and validation via Biocarbon Registry to meet the highest standards of accuracy and transparency," they said.

"Once implemented successfully, it will provide valuable insights to improve and optimize carbon offset projects worldwide."