Himachal Pradesh opens India's first pine needle biochar plant to cut forest fires and generate carbon credits

newindianexpress.com

by clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 points

Himachal Pradesh has commissioned India's first indigenous biochar plant at the Neri campus of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Hamirpur district. The 1.5-tonne-per-day facility uses pyrolysis to convert pine needles, lantana, bamboo, and other forest biomass into biochar, bio-oil, and wood vinegar. The project aims to reduce forest fires by removing hazardous dry biomass while generating an estimated 28,800 carbon credits over ten years. The initiative is a collaboration between the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, IIT Roorkee, the university, and ProClime Services. It is part of the HIM Evergreen Integrated Climate-Smart Agriculture and Agroforestry Programme, which targets 50,000 hectares and 13.5 million tonnes of CO2 management. Local communities are paid Rs 2.50 per kilogram for collected feedstock, creating rural jobs and turning waste into a climate asset. The plant also serves as a research and training center. Biochar is recognized as a carbon removal technology because it stores carbon in soil for centuries. The project integrates GIS and remote sensing for carbon accounting. While the numbers look promising, the real test will be scaling biomass collection and verifying carbon credit quality under international standards.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Interesting pilot. 1.5 tonnes per day is small but the feedstock pricing at Rs 2.50/kg gives locals a real incentive. Curious how they plan to scale collection across 50k hectares without logistics eating the margin.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

The 28,800 credits over ten years works out to about 2,880 per year. At current biochar credit prices that is modest revenue. The real value might be in avoided fire damage and soil benefits more than carbon finance alone.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

Worth noting this is under a tripartite MoU with a private company putting in up to 1M USD. That is small money for a pilot but the carbon credit claim needs third party verification. Indian biochar projects have struggled with methodology approval under Verra or Gold Standard.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Pyrolysis plants need consistent feedstock quality. Pine needles are fine but lantana and bamboo have different moisture and density. Hope they have pre processing steps figured out or the throughput will vary a lot.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Biochar as soil amendment makes sense in theory. But farmers need to see yield gains before they pay for it. If the project gives it away or subsidizes heavily, the economics shift. Otherwise it is just a carbon storage play with ag cobenefits.