GHG life cycle assessment of CharBoss® biochar production and potential use for CDR certificate generation

GHG life cycle assessment of CharBoss® biochar production and potential use for CDR certificate generation

Abstract

An ISO-compliant life cycle assessment (LCA) study was performed of the Air Burner Inc. CharBoss® pyrolyzing air curtain burner (Charboss). The LCA was set in the context of the Charboss processing forest fire reduction waste biomass into biochar. The purpose of the LCA is to quantify the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) certificate generation potential of the CharBoss use in this context.

The goal of the study was to carry out an attributional LCA study to calculate net emissions from biochar used as a carbon sink. This study is proof-of-concept focused and is compatible with LCA and greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting standards. The scope of this study is to calculate the net climate change impact of GHG emissions, in units of metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2eq), associated with the feedstock processing and burning, and final use of the biochar produced.

All activity or foreground data is project-specific and originates from the CharBoss operations for United States Forest Service (FS) research projects on forest fire protection initiatives, covering all biochar production-related operations from biomass feedstock source to biochar utilization.

Through applying the puro.earth methodology to the activity data of the study, a carbon dioxide removal certificate CORC potential of -2.70 MT CO2eq per MT biochar produced was calculated. Similarly, it has been determined that this project has the potential to generate 2,403.81 MT CO2eq of CORC certificates of biochar during a 12-month period, through use of the CharBoss machine and subsequent application of the biochar to forest soils.

The study demonstrated that use of the CharBoss machine to process forest fire reduction harvest biomass into biochar has the potential to create marketable CDR certificates, while improving the sustainability of the National Forests under FS care.

Report prepared for USDA Forest Service and US Biochar Initiative

Project Lead: Deborah Page-Dumroese, PhD

Lead Author and LCA Practitioner: Gudmundur Johannesson

Lead GHG Analyst: Stephen Boles

Editor: Link Shumaker
Biosystems Engineering, PLLC. 
101 Westview Dr
Carrboro, NC 27510-1501
https://www.gobiosystems.com

Rocky Mountain Research Station
1221 South Main Street
Moscow, ID 83843
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/rmrs

US Biochar Initiative 
5474 SW Arrow Wood Lane
Portland, OR 97225
https://biochar.org