2. Biochar
Productio
n
Biochar is a carbon-rich,
highly stable soil amendment
produced as a by-product of
pyrolysis, which generates
energy from biomass in the
absence of oxygen. When
biomass decomposes, carbon
and methane escape into the
atmosphere. Biochar retains
most of the carbon. If we
bury it, that carbon can be
held for centuries in the
soil. Applying biochar to
soils can reduce other soil
greenhouse gas emissions.
Impact
Biochar can reduce carbon
dioxide emissions 1.36–3.00
3. Methodolo
gy
calculates future
availability of various
biomass types and allocates
feedstocks to the solutions
that need them. Within the
integrated biomass model, we
allocate feedstock to biochar
only after demand by all
other bio-based solutions has
been satisfied. Our modeled
total addressable market,
which serves our theoretical
upper limit to biochar
adoption, ranges from 215
million metric tons of
biomass in 2020 to 1.0
billion metric tons in 2050.
These figures can be
expressed in terms of
4. •Adoption Scenarios
Scenario 1: 63.05 million metric tons of
biochar are produced (21 percent of the
total addressable market).
Scenario 2: 117.95 million metric tons of
biochar are produced (40 percent of the
total addressable market).
•Emissions, Sequestration, and Yield
Model
Avoided emissions from biochar to be 0.95
metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent
emissions per metric ton of feedstock
based on meta-analysis of 13 data points
5. Results
1 sequesters 1.36 gigatons
of carbon dioxide
equivalent greenhouse gas
emissions. The net first
cost to implement is
US$123.54 billion, and the
lifetime operational cost
is US$333.20 billion.
• Adoption of Scenario 2
sequesters 3.00 gigatons
of carbon dioxide
equivalent sequestered
from 2020 to 2050. The net
first cost to implement is
US$244.94 billion, and the
lifetime operational cost
