Biochar: Carbon Removal, Soil Health and India’s Potential
Why in the news
With India aiming for net-zero by 2070, biochar was highlighted as an affordable carbon-removal option that also helps soils and crop-waste management.
About biochar
Made from crop residue, forest waste or manure through pyrolysis, which locks carbon in a stable form that can stay in soil for centuries.
Key facts and benefits
- Carbon storage: hundreds to thousands of years; India’s technical potential 100-150 Mt CO₂ per year by 2050.
- Waste: over 500 million tonnes of crop residue yearly; an alternative to stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana.
- Soil: better fertility, water retention and microbial activity, especially in degraded or arid soils; less chemical fertilizer.
- Livelihoods: decentralised units run by farmers, rural entrepreneurs and SHGs.
Concerns
- No standard certification for carbon credits.
- Low farmer awareness; limited R&D support.
Opportunities
- Voluntary carbon markets value biochar as durable removal.
- Article 6 of the Paris Agreement allows monetisation through cooperation.
- PM-PRANAM, GOBARdhan and the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture can add incentives.
- Australia, the U.S., Kenya and Ghana offer models.
Exam angle
- Process: pyrolysis.
- Carbon-cooperation provision: Article 6.