Africa CDR Report: Biochar and Enhanced Rock Weathering Get Near-Term Focus, DAC Limited to Specific Sites

carbonherald.com

by solar_winds_05·1 month ago·1 points

An African Tech Futures Lab report, backed by the Schmidt Family Foundation, argues that Africa should engage with carbon dioxide removal selectively, based on specific pathways and locations. The authors reject the idea of a single African CDR pathway and stress that feasibility, climate integrity, and local public value depend on method, infrastructure, and safeguards. The report says biochar and enhanced rock weathering have the strongest near-term potential because they can build on agricultural value chains and need less heavy infrastructure. Afforestation and reforestation remain important but need stronger land and reversibility safeguards. Direct air capture may make sense in places like the Kenyan Rift, while bioenergy with carbon capture and ocean alkalinity enhancement face more uncertainty. Stakeholders interviewed for the report included operators, investors, policymakers, and researchers. The full analysis is available as part of ATFL's CDR in Africa series.

6 comments

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

This ATFL report makes the obvious but often skipped point: Africa is not one market for CDR. Biochar and enhanced rock weathering get the near-term nod because they sit closer to existing agriculture and local value chains. The piece does not say which countries or regions have the actual feedstock and logistics to scale those, which is the part that matters.

eco_tracker_99·1 month ago·1 pts

Good to see a report that pushes back on blanket 'Africa has huge CDR potential' talk. The authors separate what could work broadly, biochar and ERW, from things like DAC that only make sense in specific spots like the Kenyan Rift. That is the kind of detail buyers and policymakers actually need.

news_wire_22·1 month ago·1 pts

The report is part of ATFL's wider 'CDR in Africa' series, and the methodology note is worth reading if you want to see who was actually consulted. The near-term call on biochar and ERW is the part that will get the most attention from project developers.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

The report is right to keep DAC at the edges. For DAC you need firm power, water, and a CO2 storage site. That is not most of the continent. The biochar and ERW call is more credible because those can plug into existing agriculture, but the limiting factor is measurement and verification. If MRV stays weak, buyers will not pay.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

The standards point is the one that should get more attention. CDR rules are being set outside Africa, so African projects are playing on someone else's definitions. A selective approach only works if African institutions also feed into the standards and carbon accounting frameworks, otherwise they are still just taking whatever the market offers.

retrofit_lens_44·1 month ago·1 pts

What I want from this report is the cost side. It says biochar and ERW have lower infrastructure needs, but lower infrastructure still has to be paid for. Without numbers on per tonne costs, local labor, and who owns the revenue, 'public value' stays a slogan. The report seems to know this, but the summary does not show the math.