Biochar is a carbon-rich material that is produced from biomass in an oxygen-limited environment. It can potentially store CO2 from the atmosphere for a long time (Carbon Dioxide Removal – CDR). CE Delft performed a study, commissioned by RVO, on the possible applications, environmental impacts and the technical and realistic potential of biochar use in the Netherlands. The study focused on biochar applications with dual use, both for CDR and for other use cases.
The realistic potential for biochar use in the Netherlands was found to be very limited still. For all biochar applications, the business case would only become attractive if demand for CDR carbon credits would increase and the credit revenues would be properly distributed along the value chain. Revenues from co-products, like pyrolysis oil and syngas, play an important role as well. Therefore, the extent to which biochar could contribute to CDR in the Netherlands depends strongly on future financial and policy incentives within European and national CDR policies.