Biochar project inputs

Biochar feedstock eligibility: what projects need to establish

Feedstock eligibility is about provenance, existing use, contamination, sustainability and evidence as well as biomass type. The assessment must follow the current methodology.

Technical overview reviewed September 2026

Crushed biochar prepared for application
Crushed biochar. GIZ Bush Control and Biomass Utilisation Project, CC BY-SA 4.0

Beyond a species list

Eligibility is a claim supported by provenance

Naming the feedstock is only the start. A project must show where it came from, who controlled it, what would otherwise happen to it and whether its use creates environmental or social risk.

Positive lists and methodology categories can help screen a material, but current official rules should always be checked. A proposed feedstock may also require project-specific evidence or restrictions on the resulting biochar use.

The evidence file

What a project should be able to establish

QuestionEvidence to assembleRisk being tested
What is it?Material description, composition, photographs and supplier specificationMisclassification or mixed material
Where is it from?Site, supplier, ownership, harvesting or process recordsUnknown or unsustainable origin
What happened before?Previous use, disposal route, market information and contractsDiversion, leakage or weak baseline
Is it clean?Separation controls, contamination checks and relevant analysisFossil, chemical or physical contamination
Can supply be sustained?Historical volumes, seasonality, forecasts and supply agreementsOverstated scale or supply pressure

Screening themes

Six issues that commonly decide project fit

Biomass origin

Records should identify the source location and production or collection activity, not only the immediate supplier.

Residual or waste status

The project may need to demonstrate why the material qualifies and describe its credible alternative fate.

Competing uses

Existing demand and the consequences of diversion can affect the baseline, leakage assessment and additionality case.

Contamination

Paint, plastics, treated wood, fossil material, soil, metals or other contaminants may affect eligibility and product use.

Sustainability

Harvesting practice, land impacts, supply pressure and applicable certifications may need to be evidenced.

Transport and moisture

Distance, mode, weight and moisture affect operations and lifecycle greenhouse-gas accounting.

Primary sources

Use the current rules for the selected route

Verra VM0044, Puro's Biomass Sourcing Criteria and the EBC/WBC positive list are examples of official sources that may inform an assessment. They are not interchangeable and their requirements can change.

Verra VM0044 v1.2 Puro Standard document library EBC and WBC guidelines

From guidance to project design

Apply the requirements to a real project

CO2balance can review the feedstock, production system, end-use route and available evidence before a full project-development programme is defined.

Explore biochar project development