Biochar: Potential and Challenges in India’s Carbon Market

Biochar Production and Carbon Reduction in India

• Biochar, a carbon-rich charcoal, can be produced from agricultural residue and organic municipal solid waste.

• India can produce 15-26 million tonnes of biochar using 30% to 50% of surplus waste, removing 0.1 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent annually.

• Byproducts like syngas and bio-oil can generate additional electricity and fuels.

• Biochar can hold carbon in soil for 100-1,000 years, improve water retention, and enhance soil organic carbon.

• Challenges include underrepresentation in carbon credit systems, limited resources, evolving technologies, market uncertainties, and insufficient policy support.

• Recommendations for large-scale biochar adoption include sustained support for R&D, integrating biochar into existing frameworks, and recognizing biochar as a verifiable carbon removal pathway.