Restoration Pathway
Biochar
Biochar is produced by heating organic material in low-oxygen conditions — a process called pyrolysis. The result is a highly stable form of carbon that resists decomposition in soil for centuries to millennia, while simultaneously improving the land it is applied to.
Mechanism
How It Works
During pyrolysis, organic feedstock is heated at high temperatures with limited oxygen. Volatile compounds are driven off, and the remaining carbon is restructured into a recalcitrant aromatic form that soil microbes cannot readily break down. This biochar is then applied to agricultural or restoration land, where it bonds to soil minerals, improving water-holding capacity, cation exchange, and microbial habitat. Unlike composting, which returns carbon to the atmosphere within years, pyrolysis locks carbon into a structure that persists on centennial to millennial timescales.
Carbon Profile
Permanence
100–500+ years
Stability
Very high — recalcitrant aromatic carbon structure resists microbial decomposition
Verification
Third-party verified using internationally recognised biochar carbon accounting methodologies.
Biochar does not merely store carbon — it improves the land that holds it, making permanence an ally of productivity rather than a constraint.
Co-Benefits
Soil Health
Improves water-holding capacity, cation exchange, and microbial diversity in degraded soils.
Agricultural Yield
Field trials consistently show yield improvements in low-organic-matter soils common across central India.
Water Retention
Reduces irrigation demand — critical in drought-prone agricultural regions of Madhya Pradesh.
Reduced Open Burning
Displaces the open burning of agricultural residues, a major source of seasonal particulate matter.
Scientific Basis
Scientific Basis
Biochar's longevity in soil is supported by multiple independent lines of evidence: radiocarbon dating of terra preta soils in the Amazon (thousands of years old), controlled laboratory incubation studies measuring decomposition rates, and long-term field trials across diverse soil types. The recalcitrant aromatic carbon structure is well characterised in peer-reviewed literature. Prithvi CDR's methodology is aligned with published standards and undergoes independent third-party audit before credit issuance.