This page introduces Carbon Gold’s Biochar in Practice series, drawing on nearly two decades of applied experience across soil and non-soil applications.
Biochar is often discussed in terms of potential — for carbon removal, soil health, materials, and wider environmental benefit. In practice, the outcomes biochar delivers depend on how it is produced, where it is used, and how it is integrated into real-world systems.
Biochar in Practice is a series of articles from Carbon Gold that explores these realities.
Drawing on nearly two decades of applied experience, this series focuses on how biochar behaves once it leaves theory and enters use — across soil systems, materials, and carbon-related applications.
What this series covers
Rather than promoting a single pathway or framework, Biochar in Practice looks at the decisions, trade-offs, and constraints that shape outcomes in the real world.
Topics include:
- Why one biochar does not fit all applications
- How feedstock choice sets limits on performance
- Why permanence comes from use, not assumption
- How biochar contributes to net zero in practice
- What carbon credit purchasers need to understand
- Where logistics, deployment, and systems design matter
The aim is to provide clarity, not simplification.
Who this is for
This series is written for:
- Organisations working with or considering biochar
- Project developers and technical teams
- Purchasers of biochar-linked carbon credits
- Practitioners looking for applied, experience-led insight
It assumes a professional audience and focuses on explanation rather than promotion.
How to read the series
If you are new to Biochar in Practice, we recommend starting with the articles below, in order.
- Old materials, new frameworks — understanding biochar in practice
An overview of how biochar has evolved and why frameworks have changed more than the material itself. - One biochar does not fit all applications
Why different uses place different demands on biochar, and why interchangeability is a common misconception. - Feedstock matters: why input quality sets the ceiling
How feedstock choice shapes performance, consistency, and suitability across applications. - Permanence comes from use, not assumption
Why long-term carbon value depends on deployment and integration, not intention. - Biochar, net zero, and why the details matter
How biochar contributes to net zero strategies when systems are designed realistically. - Buying carbon credits linked to biochar: what purchasers should understand
A purchaser-focused perspective on value, risk, and durability in biochar-linked credits.
New articles are added as the industry evolves.
A practical perspective
Carbon Gold was founded in 2007 and has worked with biochar through multiple phases of the industry’s development — from early production, through product design, to emerging applications and systems.
That experience shapes the perspective shared here.
Biochar in Practice is not about predicting the future of biochar. It is about understanding how it works when applied carefully, realistically, and at scale.
