[Terrapreta] Selling Biochar in Climate Change Markets

[Laurens Rademakers]

Tom, you are absolutely right. But you can in fact go MUCH further. We have done the same calculation, and biochar can be even more profitable when the system is implemented in the tropics at the forest frontier. Because there it would actually slow or even halt deforestation.

We look at it as follows: 1 hectare of "slash and burn" converted into "slash and char" would, over a period of 30 years, save the carbon contained in at least 6 hectares of forest. Because shifting cultivation forces farmers to move on to new land after 2 to maximum 5 years (so after 30 years, they would have slashed and burned 6 ha if they use each hectare 5 years, which is a long time; in reality, most soils are depleted much faster, after 2 or 3 years). 

-An average rainforest in SEAsia/Central Africa contains around 700 tons CO2eq/ha. 
-So by converting 1 hectare into biochar soils, you would get 700 tons times 6 = 4200 tons (over 30 years); 4200 tons of CO2 at Euro 21/ton = Euro 88,200. 
-Euro 88,200 divided by 30 (years) is 2940 per hectare of land converted to biochar; not bad

Of course, currently these slash-and-burn farmers don't use fertilizers. Biochar only works if supplemented with fertilizers. So you would have to take emissions from fertilizers into the equation, and substract them from the gains.

-Another stream of carbon revenue would be: reduced emissions from primitive biomass use for energy. When biochar is made in efficient pyrolysis plants that deliver electricity at the same time (from the syngas), then you would provide clean energy to these communities. They would no longer rely on wood burned inefficiently in open fires (current practise), which releases large amounts of emissions.

Mmm, I think we should put much more effort in studying the potential carbon market opportunities for biochar, as they relate to different biochar concepts.

Best,
Lorenzo



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