Biochar: Biomass Charcoal for Soil improvement

Biochar, a powerfully circular way to fight climate change

Biochar technology is a form of charcoal. It is made through a process called pyrolysis which involves burning of biomass in an oven with little or no oxygen. What you get out of it is solid material which then is added into soil. Under the right circumstances, biochar provides a unique opportunity to sequester carbon and improve soil quality by using locally sourced resources, and even a single application can provide benefits for years

This technology is validated.

8•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 7/9

305 USD

For 500 Kg capacity

5—10 Tones

Recommended Biochar quantity for 1 hectare

IP

Open source / open access

Problem

Soil health decline impacting agribusiness: Poor soil quality limits crop performance, making it harder to scale input-based business models and reduce risk.
Short-term residue management harms long-term yields: Burning crop residues may save time and costs, but it emits carbon, destroys soil quality, and reduces field productivity.
Low fertiliser efficiency: With degraded soils, much of the fertiliser applied is lost, leading to high input costs and weak ROI for both farmers and input suppliers.
Erosion of productive land: Nutrient-rich topsoil is rapidly lost due to poor land management, threatening long-term supply chain stability.
Overreliance on synthetic fertilisers: The dominance of traditional fertilisers creates market vulnerability and environmental liabilities in a changing policy landscape.
Missed innovation in waste valorisation: Agricultural residues are burned instead of being transformed into value-added products like biochar or compost.
Unsustainable practices limit market access: Pressure is mounting from global markets and consumers for greener agricultural value chains.
Climate inaction blocks green investment opportunities: Without measurable mitigation practices, agriculture is left out of carbon markets and green finance schemes.

Solution

Cuts input costs: Enhances fertiliser efficiency and reduces pesticide use, increasing return on investment.
Increases yields: Field trials report 15–35% yield improvements in maize and rice with just one dose.
Supports premium products: Healthier crops grown on enriched soils can lead to better quality and market value.
Offers product diversification: Biochar production from agri-waste opens up new revenue streams and circular economy models.
Aligns with ESG goals: Reduces emissions, sequesters carbon, and supports sustainable land use—ideal for climate-smart branding.
Creates carbon credit potential: In Kenya, smallholders generate income by selling certified carbon credits from biochar use.
Ensures long-term benefits: A one-time biochar application improves soil health over multiple cropping cycles.

Key points to design your business plan

Manufacturers

Producing Biochar technology offers an eco-friendly and sustainable solution to improve soil fertility, increase crop yields, and sequester carbon, benefiting farmers and contributing to environmental health globally.

To efficiently produce Biochar, it is essential to:

Identify source reliable suppliers for production equipment, which costs around 305 USD and is available in Nigeria (Kano State: +2347066787854). Small-scale systems processing 500 kg/hr). This facility could produce several tons of Biochar annually, generating significant revenue.

Your potential customers include farmers, agricultural cooperatives, development projects, government agencies, and NGOs focused on sustainable agriculture.

Establishing strong partnerships with distribution networks and agricultural stakeholders is crucial for the success of your business.

Users

Using Biochar is a cost-effective and sustainable farming practice that enhances crop yields, improves soil health, and reduces dependence on synthetic fertilizers.

To successfully implement this technology, you will need:

Reliable suppliers for Biochar and possibly equipment for on-site production. For optimal results, farmers need 5 to 10 tons of Biochar per hectare.
About the cost structure, you need to find cost of biochar per ton which is available in Nigeria (Nigeria; +234806755265).

Estimating the profit margin based on Biochar's impact on yield and input costs will be essential for maximizing economic benefits.

Your main partners is biochar manufacturers.

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive high

Women: Positive high

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: Much less carbon released

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Water use: Much less water used

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 8 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: tested

Level of use 7 out of 9

Common use by projects NOT connected to technology provider

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Benin	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 1: no poverty

Goal 3: good health and well-being

Goal 13: climate action

Goal 15: life on land

For more effectiveness and rapid activation,

Mix biochar with organic manure or compost and incorporate it into the soil during land preparation.
Frequency of application: Due to its gradual process in decomposing in soil, single applications of biochar can provide beneficial effects over several growing seasons in the field.
Therefore, biochar does not need to be applied with each crop, as is usually the case for manures, compost, and synthetic fertilizers.

Biochar is great stuff but it can be dangerous to you and your crops. Therefore, Keep your biochar wet – the tiny particles can get in your lungs and cause cancer
Never put biochar in your soil immediately after making it.

Biochar is very powerful if you use too much you risk:
• Locking up the nitrogen in your soil
• Locking up any chemical fertilizers you are using
• Locking up any pesticides and herbicides you are using

Materials and Equipment

Drum
Duct tube
Ignition cone
Feed stalk (e.g., rice husk, wood, shavings or other crop residues)
Ignition material
Water
Nylon/leather
Rope

Rice Husk Biochar Production Procedure

Feed the ignition material into the ignition cone
Insert the cone into the drum
Fill the drum with the feed stalk
Ignite the material inside the cone
Insert the duct tube into the ignition cone and confirm the smoke is escaping through the pipe
After 3-4 hrs stir the rice husk with the formed biochar
Fill the drum with the rice husk to the brim
After 1-2 hrs wet the duct tube with water and remove
Shut the air/oxygen by covering the drum with leather
Leave it in this condition until the next day
The biochar is ready to be activated with compost or compost tea