The carbon removal

Biochar achieves permanent carbon removal by transforming biomass carbon—normally returned to the atmosphere through decomposition—into a highly stable, aromatic carbon structure through pyrolysis. 

In the context of the stored material in the photo, the biochar has already undergone thermal conversion, meaning its volatile components have been removed and the remaining carbon is in a molecular form that resists microbial breakdown for centuries to millennia. 

Once stockpiled in preparation for use in the next cropping season, this material is effectively inert: it does not oxidise, decay or release methane, even when stored in open, aerated agricultural environments. When later applied to soil, the permanence increases further because the biochar becomes physically and chemically integrated into soil aggregates, adsorbs minerals, and binds with organic matter—processes that reduce mobility and oxidation. This dual mechanism—pyrolytic transformation + soil stabilisation—is what allows each tonne of biochar in the pile to represent a durable, measurable and verifiable removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere.

The standard

The Isometric Standard, specifically its Biochar Production and Storage Protocol, is a leading carbon removal framework that sets rigorous scientific criteria for producing, measuring, and verifying durable carbon storage through biochar. 

It provides clear monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) requirements so that only the portion of biochar carbon expected to remain stable for decades or centuries is credited, and imposes strict feedstock sustainability, durability modelling, and quality thresholds that align with emerging carbon markets and regulations. 

Under this protocol, suppliers can choose crediting options with 200-year or even 1,000-year durability, making it one of the first standards to certify long-term biochar carbon removal projects and to be approved under independent voluntary market governance such as the Integrity Council's Core Carbon Principles. See the link for more details.

The project

The MVC Biochar Project in Fresia, Chile, is a fully integrated carbon-removal system built around stationary double-barrel retort kilns fabricated locally in Puerto Montt and deployed for slow pyrolysis of Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus nitens residues. 

Operating under oxygen-limited conditions at 400–600 °C, each kiln converts otherwise decomposing biomass into high-stability biochar with an H/Corg ratio below 0.5, generating durable carbon storage consistent with the 200-year durability threshold of the Isometric Biochar Storage Protocol. 

The project produces approximately 3,110 tonnes of biochar per year from six kilns, delivering an estimated 6,842–8,806 tCO₂e of net removals annually. This is supported by continuous digital MRV, emissions-testing-based monitoring, and fully traceable feedstock procurement within a 200 km radius. 

Production is complemented by on-site quality control for carbon content, moisture, ash, PAHs, and reactor temperature logs to ensure consistent kiln performance and long-term carbon stability.

The project's deployment model integrates carbon removal with regenerative agriculture: all biochar is inoculated with locally sourced aerobic compost and applied exclusively on the farm across 13.4 hectares of leveled Andisol soils. 

This compost–biochar matrix enhances nutrient cycling, increases soil organic carbon formation, reduces N₂O and CH₄ emissions, and improves drought resilience. 

Baseline modelling shows that without the project, unmanaged eucalyptus residues would emit between 66.7 and 568.8 kg CO₂e per tonne through aerobic decomposition and anaerobic methane formation—equivalent to nearly 5,900 tCO₂e per year—making pyrolysis a significantly superior climate pathway. 

The project demonstrates financial, environmental, and regulatory additionality, operates with no alternative revenue stream, relies entirely on credit issuance, uses only residual biomass, avoids land-use competition, and incorporates robust leakage-prevention measures. 

Together, these elements establish MVC Biochar as a high-integrity, durable carbon-removal project aligned with the Isometric Standard and engineered for long-term operational reliability. See the link for more details.