Claiming these are the largest biochar deals to date, Google will purchase 100,000 tonnes of biochar carbon removal credits from each company by 2030.
Google said by purchasing 200,000 tonnes it will help it achieve its net zero emissions goal – and start to catalyze biochar production toward a scale that can help the planet mitigate climate change.
A growing toolkit
Google is adding biochar to a growing toolkit of carbon removal solutions that it already supports including enhanced rock weathering and direct air capture.
Biochar is simply waste biomass that has been pyrolyzed (heated without oxygen) until it becomes a charcoal-like substance. The process locks up CO2 which otherwise would have rapidly returned to the atmosphere for centuries. Spreading the biochar on agricultural fields improves soil health, making it “a win-win for farmers and the planet”, according to Google.
“Biochar is a promising approach to carbon removal, because it has the ability to scale worldwide, using existing technology, with positive side effects for soil health,” said Randy Spock, Google’s carbon removal lead.
Can biochar production achieve scale?
While there are question marks associated with scaling biochar production, biochar technology is gaining traction on hopes it can improve crop yields, sequester carbon, and boost soil lifecycles.
According to Google, because the process is relatively simple and the inputs are widespread, biochar is ready to scale in many geographies today – a fact reflected in these first two partnerships.
Charm turns forest thinnings into biochar for farms in the US, while Varaha turns invasive species into biochar to help smallholder farmers in India.
To ensure biochar projects maximise their impact, it will be critical that companies use the right feedstocks and measure impact rigorously, the companies said.
While the exact price for Google’s deal was not disclosed, Varaha’s credits are traded at around $160 in the international market. It gives 65-75% of the revenue back to the farmers involved in their project.
Charm Industrial’s carbon credits are priced at $600 per tonne of CO2 removed, though it expects prices to decrease to $100 per tonne by 2040.
A ‘powerful precedent’
Varaha said Google’s first large-scale carbon offtake in India sets a powerful precedent for scaling permanent carbon removal in emerging economies. It will now focus on optimizing local feedstocks.
“Smallholders steward 12% of the world’s agricultural land, including in some of the regions most vulnerable to climate change,” said Varaha, whose efforts to strengthen smallholder livelihoods through carbon finance rely significantly on digital innovation.
“Google’s role at the forefront of technology and leadership in climate action will accelerate Varaha’s work of building the digital, physical, and market infrastructure for smallholder-led carbon removal in India and beyond,” it said.
