Technology major Microsoft has signed a deal with Bolivian company Exomad Green to remove CO₂.
Exomad Green, a producer of biochar carbon removal (BCR) credits, said this is the “largest BCR deal in history by volume, and among the largest across all forms of durable durable carbon removal (CDR)”
Over a 10-year period, the deal is expected to remove 1.24 million tonnes of CO₂.
What is biochar?
As described by Exomad Green biochar is a stable form of carbon produced by heating biomass in the absence of oxygen.
It is claimed that biochar can be produced with “minimal emissions” and is regarded as a “powerful soil enhancer”.
What is Exomad Green’s role?
Exomad Green turns forestry waste, which would otherwise be burnt at sawmills, into biochar.
The end product is delivered to local communities for them to use the biochar to improve soil health.
The BCR credits provider aims to scale its operations to process one megatonne of CO₂ per year.
Some background
The deal builds on an earlier partnership between Microsoft, Exomad Green, and Carbonfutur dating back to December 2023 when the Silicon Valley giant bought 32,000 tonnes of BCR credits.
Executives’ take
Diego Justiniano, CEO of Exomad Green said: “Microsoft has shown true climate leadership and commitment by seizing the immediate potential of biochar as a carbon removal solution that is measurable and scalable, while demonstrating significant co-benefits across communities and in improving soil quality.”
Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy & Carbon Removal at Microsoft, said: “Microsoft is pleased to build on our relationship with Exomad Green and Carbonfuture to deliver high-quality, high-impact, and high-integrity durable CDR through biochar. We value Exomad Green’s commitment to high standards for biomass sustainability and traceability through its establishment of a new Forest Monitoring Center and recognize biochar’s significant co-benefits for community and soil quality in addition to its carbon removal potential.”
Source:
