Isometric Modules Soil Built Burial
Parent hub: Isometric Biochar Protocol
Permanence math: Isometric Permanence Pathways 200y and 1000y
MRV: Isometric Project Cycle and MRV
Applications: Soil and Agriculture · Materials and Built Uses
Isometric splits where biochar is stored into dedicated modules. Production stays under Biochar Production and Storage v1.3; durability and site rules live in the storage module.
Module roster
| Module | Version (fetched 2026-09-16) | Durability framing | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soil Environments | v1.3 | 200y or 1000y | https://registry.isometric.com/module/biochar-storage-soil-environments/1.3 |
| Agricultural Soils (earlier) | v1.1 | Same two-option logic | https://registry.isometric.com/module/biochar-storage-agricultural-soils/1.1 |
| Low Oxygen Burial | v1.1 | ≥ 1000y | https://registry.isometric.com/module/biochar-storage-low-oxygen/1.1 |
| Built Environment | v1.0 (page may note newer) | > 1000y | https://registry.isometric.com/module/biochar-storage-built-environment/1.0 |
Soil Environments v1.3
Eligible land uses
Agricultural soils (FAO cropland / meadows / pasture), forestry soils, amenity/recreational land (parks, golf courses). Other environments (rangeland, horticulture, urban landscapes) possible with prior Isometric approval if risk ≤ agricultural soils and ESS met (soil module).
Ineligible: projects causing sustained net decrease in crop yields / land productivity.
Chemistry & permanence
See Isometric Permanence Pathways 200y and 1000y — H/Corg < 0.5, O/Corg < 0.2, WBC contaminant ceilings, 200y Woolf path or 1000y Ro path.
Safeguards
Application rates within local regulation; minimize dust; incorporate where appropriate; monitor N, pH, salts, WHC, nutrients; heavy-metal remediation plan if soils already elevated; stakeholder process for free distribution (commercial offtake exempt from some consultation rules).
Buffer
Typically 0% (No Observable Risk).
Example
Charm Range & Plains — land application of biochar (registry).
Low Oxygen Burial v1.1
Applicability (strict)
- Burial in permitted lined landfill solid-waste sites under local authority
- Permit includes EIS if required; ≥ 20 years post-closure care; adaptive management; disturbance safeguards
- If Daily Cover: not removed from active area; permanently buried within 1 week
- Functional low-oxygen / anoxic storage conditions
- Default geography: US, Canada, UK, EU (other jurisdictions if equally rigorous, Isometric-approved)
Future versions may expand to purpose-built burial pits (module).
Quantification
Two Ro-centric frameworks:
- Option 1: Ro inertinite fraction plus incubation-derived labile persistence with safety factor 3
- Option 2: Ro-only (deducts non-passing fraction entirely)
Site / legal permanence
Hydrology, geology, seismicity target values (module Table 3); base liner & leachate; landfill gas management; oxygen monitoring (report if exceed permit / 5% default); ownership + restrictive covenant/easement + enforcement stakeholder (module Table 4).
Buffer
Typically 0%.
Example + offtake
Carba Burnsville (MN) — woody waste → biochar as landfill daily cover; registry approval 25 Jun 2026; expected first certificates 2026 (registry).
Microsoft agreement: 44,000 credits over 5 years; 1000-year durability via Isometric (Carba press 2025-04-24).
Built Environment v1.0+
Applicable products
- Concrete: SCM, filler, admixture, aggregate substitute
- Asphalt: aggregate or modifier
- Other building materials (bricks, tiles, geopolymers, plasters) case-by-case with similarity proof
Not applicable: carbonate mineralization pathways; lumber storage (module).
Must meet same performance as conventional product; no disproportionate extra installation/maintenance.
Permanence sketch
[ F_{Durable,Material} = F_{Inertinite} + [1 - (3 \times F_{Reversal})] F_{Labile} ]
- Inertinite from Ro ≥ 2% + non-reactive C (mean − 1 SD framing)
- Default concrete (F_{Reversal}) 2% (PHREEQC worst-case acid weathering) × safety factor 3
- Asphalt: labile fraction treated as 100% lost to abrasion over horizon
Storage point for crediting: incorporation into built material. Downstream manufacturing emissions may be excluded if product parity proven; transport exclusion needs national-average distance justification.
Buffer
2% (Very Low Risk).
Development notes
Public consultation feedback from suppliers alterBiota and ecoLocked (Isometric article; Carbon Herald 2025-03-12).
Vault applications: Materials and Built Uses.
Chooser (storage module)
| Choose Soil when… | Choose Burial when… | Choose Built when… |
|---|---|---|
| Agronomic offtake / compost matrix pathways | Co-located landfill daily cover partners | Concrete/asphalt customers want 1000y claims |
| Can run H/Corg labs; Ro optional for 1000y premium | Can meet permit + legal easement bar | Can run Ro + material performance testing |
| Want 200y path without petrography | Want engineered anoxic storage narrative | Buyer demands built-environment CDR |
Cross-registry: Verra non-soil is a PR_de path inside VM0044, not a separate module (Verra VM0044 Methodology and Eligibility); Puro use pathways live in Edition 2025 Table 3.2 (Puro Biochar Methodology Edition 2025).