BIOCHAR
1. Context
With the Indian carbon market set to be launched in 2026, CO2 removal technologies such as biochar are expected to play a crucial role. Biochar is a type of charcoal rich in carbon and is produced from agricultural residue and organic municipal solid waste. It offers a sustainable alternative to manage waste and capture carbon. However, to truly serve as a scalable pathway for negative emissions across sectors, biochar requires participation and support from multiple stakeholders.
2. What is Biochar?
- Biochar is a stable, carbon-rich material that is produced by heating organic matter—such as crop residues, animal manure, or forest waste—under limited or no oxygen conditions in a process known as pyrolysis. Although it resembles charcoal in appearance, its primary purpose is not as fuel but as a soil amendment and a climate mitigation tool.
- The idea behind biochar comes from ancient practices such as those used in the Amazon Basin, where indigenous communities enriched the soil using charred organic matter, creating fertile lands known as terra preta.
- Modern science has revived this technique to tackle contemporary issues like declining soil fertility, agricultural waste management, and rising carbon emissions.
- The process of pyrolysis breaks down biomass into three main products: biochar (a solid), bio-oil (a liquid), and syngas (a combustible gas).
- The resulting biochar retains much of the carbon from the original organic material and can be added to soil, where it remains stable for hundreds to thousands of years. This makes biochar a significant tool for carbon sequestration, as it locks carbon away from the atmosphere in a solid form.
- When applied to agricultural land, biochar improves soil health in multiple ways. It enhances water retention in sandy soils and improves aeration in clay soils. Due to its porous structure, it holds nutrients and releases them slowly to crops, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.
- Moreover, it provides a favorable environment for beneficial soil microbes, which further boosts plant growth. Farmers also benefit from increased crop yields and better drought resistance when biochar is used effectively.
- From an environmental perspective, biochar helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It limits the release of nitrous oxide and methane from soils and prevents nutrients from leaching into groundwater. Since it is made from biomass that would otherwise decompose or be burned, its use also contributes to better waste management, particularly in agricultural regions.
- Despite its benefits, there are challenges in adopting biochar on a large scale. Producing biochar requires pyrolysis units, which involve upfront costs and technical expertise. In many parts of India, especially among small and marginal farmers, there is limited awareness about biochar’s potential.
- Moreover, its impact can vary depending on the type of feedstock used and the specific soil and climate conditions, making it difficult to standardize practices.
- In the Indian context, biochar aligns well with national priorities such as sustainable agriculture, climate change mitigation, and circular economy.
- Programs like the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), GOBARdhan scheme, and PM-PRANAM could integrate biochar as a viable solution to reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers, manage biomass waste, and promote climate-resilient farming
3. What is the potential of biochar?
- India produces more than 600 million metric tonnes of agricultural residue and over 60 million tonnes of municipal solid waste every year. A considerable share of this waste is either openly burned or dumped in landfills, contributing significantly to air pollution through the release of particulate matter and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
- If 30% to 50% of this surplus biomass and waste were diverted towards productive use, it could lead to the generation of approximately 15 to 26 million tonnes of biochar annually.
- This would help in removing an estimated 0.1 gigatonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions each year.
- Additionally, the pyrolysis process used to produce biochar yields valuable byproducts such as syngas (20–30 million tonnes) and bio-oil (24–40 million tonnes), both of which have energy generation potential.
- In terms of energy substitution, syngas can potentially be used to generate between 8 and 13 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, which is roughly 0.5% to 0.7% of India’s total yearly power output.
- This could also replace about 0.4 to 0.7 million tonnes of coal annually. Similarly, bio-oil could serve as an alternative to conventional fuels, potentially displacing 12 to 19 million tonnes of diesel or kerosene—accounting for around 8% of current usage.
- This substitution could reduce crude oil imports and cut India’s fossil fuel emissions by more than 2%
4. Biochar and Carbon Sink
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- Biochar is known for its highly stable chemical structure, which enables it to lock carbon in the soil for periods ranging from 100 to 1,000 years. This durability makes it a promising long-term solution for carbon sequestration. Its adaptability across multiple sectors also offers scalable avenues for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- In the agricultural sector, biochar plays a vital role in improving water retention, especially in semi-arid regions and nutrient-poor soils. This improvement contributes to a significant reduction—up to 30–50%—in nitrous oxide emissions, a greenhouse gas that has 273 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Therefore, cutting nitrous oxide emissions through biochar application can be an important step in climate mitigation.
- Furthermore, biochar boosts soil organic carbon content, which helps in rejuvenating degraded lands and restoring soil health.
- In terms of industrial use, specially engineered biochar can be used to capture carbon dioxide from flue gases. Although current carbon capture efficiency through biochar is lower than that of conventional technologies, ongoing research suggests potential for improvement.
- The construction industry can also benefit from biochar, as it offers a low-emission substitute for conventional building materials. When 2–5% biochar is added to concrete mixes, it not only enhances mechanical strength and raises heat resistance by about 20% but also enables the capture of approximately 115 kilograms of CO₂ per cubic metre of concrete. This makes construction materials a viable and durable carbon sink.
- In wastewater treatment, biochar provides a cost-effective and efficient method to reduce contamination. With India producing over 70 billion litres of wastewater daily—72% of which remains untreated—there is significant potential for biochar-based treatment solutions.
- One kilogram of biochar, when combined with co-treatment substances, can purify between 200 and 500 litres of wastewater. This translates to an estimated demand for 2.5 to 6.3 million tonnes of biochar annually in this sector alone
5. Challenges in biochar's application
- Although biochar holds considerable theoretical promise for carbon sequestration, it remains largely absent from formal carbon credit mechanisms. This is mainly due to the lack of standardized markets for feedstock and the absence of uniform carbon accounting protocols, both of which erode investor confidence and hinder large-scale investments.
- Scientific studies have validated biochar’s technical viability across various sectors. However, practical implementation continues to face obstacles such as limited financial resources, rapidly evolving technologies, market volatility, and insufficient policy backing. Scalable business models for widespread adoption are still in early stages.
- Moreover, the slow pace of market development is compounded by low awareness among stakeholders, weak frameworks for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV), and poor coordination between agriculture, energy, and climate-related policies.
- To accelerate the adoption of biochar at scale, consistent investment in research and development is crucial. This includes creating region-specific feedstock standards and determining optimal biomass use based on local agro-climatic conditions and crop varieties.
- Furthermore, biochar must be integrated into existing policy initiatives—such as crop residue management programs, rural and urban bioenergy projects, and state-level climate plans under the State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs).
- Recognizing biochar as a legitimate carbon removal tool under India's carbon market can unlock new income streams for both farmers and private investors through carbon credits.
- Localized deployment of biochar production systems, especially at the village level, has the potential to generate around 5.2 lakh rural jobs—contributing to both environmental and socio-economic goals.
- Additionally, the co-benefits of biochar—including improved soil quality, a 10–20% reduction in fertilizer use, and a 10–25% boost in crop yields—should be formally integrated into market incentives and policy frameworks. This will help fully harness the multidimensional value of biochar.
6. Way forward
Biochar is more than just a soil additive—it represents a convergence of ancient wisdom and modern environmental science. If supported with proper policy incentives, farmer education, and decentralized pyrolysis technologies, biochar has the potential to become a key component in India’s sustainable development and climate action strategies.
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For Prelims: PM-PRANAM, GOBARdhan, National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
For Mains: GS II & III - Governance & Environment and Ecology
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Source: The Hindu
