Carbon removal solutions provider Carbonfuture announced today a new offtake agreement with Microsoft for biochar carbon removal (BCR) credits, in collaboration with the Bolivia-based Exomad Green Concepción project.

Set to deliver more than 32,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal credits to Microsoft by June 2024, the deal marks one of the largest-to date BCR purchase agreements.

Carbonfuture CEO Hannes Junginger-Gestrich said:

“Our collaboration with Microsoft and Exomad is a positive step forward for the carbon removal industry and represents a critical step in accelerating the transition to a sustainable, net-zero future. Carbonfuture’s approach, rooted in transparency and quality, ensures high-integrity carbon removal.”

Biochar, or biological charcoal, is produced by heating biomass, such as forest residue, wood or crop waste, in the absence of oxygen, creating a stable form of carbon, which when buried in soil enables centuries-long carbon sequestration, in addition to leading to improved soil fertility.

Exomad Green’s facility transforms forestry waste into biochar. By utilizing biomass that would otherwise have been burnt, the project is expected to generate benefits in addition to carbon management, including reducing health and fire risks, mitigating deforestation through sustainable timber management practices, in addition to bolstering farming practices in indigenous communities by enhancing soil fertility through biochar.

Diego Justiniano, CEO of Exomad Green said:

“The Exomad Green project with Carbonfuture and Microsoft is more than just a carbon removal initiative; it’s a testament to our commitment to environmental sustainability and community empowerment. We’re proud to contribute to a solution that not only addresses global carbon challenges but also tangibly enhances the lives of local communities in Bolivia while contributing to the reduction in deforestation linked to soil degradation.”

The agreement marks the latest in a series of carbon removal announcements by Microsoft, forming part of the company’s initiative to become carbon negative by 2030, and to remove all of its historical emissions by 2050, spanning a wide range of technologies and approaches, including nature-based reforestation projects, direct air capture (DAC) solutions, and ocean-based carbon removal, as well as another recent biochar-based agreement.

In its recently-published Carbon Removal briefing paper, Microsoft described Biochar as “the mainstay of our medium-durability portfolio and plans” for carbon removal, “that bridges the durability and cost gap” between shorter-duration solutions such as afforestation, and longer-duration but higher cost solutions such as DAC.

Brian Marrs, Senior Director, Energy & Carbon Removal at Microsoft, said:

“We are excited to work with Carbonfuture to support carbon removal through purchasing high-quality carbon removal credits. With the Exomad project, we are able to realize carbon removal with important co-benefits to local communities and ecosystems.”