Materials and Built Uses
Brief hub contrasting soil application with biochar in concrete, asphalt, composites, and other matrices. Existing vault depth is mostly soil/CDR; this page frames the domain and links credit-relevant notes without inventing materials-science claims.
Soil vs built storage (conceptual)
| Pathway | Typical framing in vault today | Credit / MRV angle |
|---|---|---|
| Soil / agriculture | Yields, GHG fluxes, permanence in soil | Dominant historical research; NRCS CPS 336; most BCR volume |
| Built / materials | Char locked in construction or products | Methodologies may allow non-soil sinks with different monitoring and leakage rules |
Soil pathway notes: Soil and Agriculture, Crop Yield Effects, GHG Fluxes, Permanence.
Why materials matter for CDR
If biochar is incorporated into long-lived products, storage can be argued via the product lifetime and disposal pathway rather than soil biogeochemistry alone. Registries differ on eligible uses, characterization, and monitoring—compare methodologies rather than assuming equivalence.
Credit notes to consult (do not invent eligibility)
- Puro Biochar Methodology Edition 2025 · Puro.earth Overview · Puro CORC200+
- Verra VM0044
- Isometric Biochar Protocol
- CSI Global Biochar C-Sink
- Puro vs Other Standards — chooser across programs
- MRV Stack · Permanence Science for Credits
Gaps / to research later
- Concrete/asphalt/composite mix designs and typical substitution rates (primary sources only)
- Which registries currently allow which built uses, and under what evidence
- Leakage / end-of-life (demolition, incineration) treatment in methods
- Co-benefits (lightweighting, sorption) vs CDR accounting boundaries
- Overlap with product standards (Product Standards EBC IBI) vs carbon methodologies