🌱 Québec · Biochar Production · Carbon Removal

Producing Biochar from
Local Wood Waste in Québec

Agri Pyro is a Québec-based biochar production project — turning regional wood waste into a powerful soil amendment and long-term carbon sink, following certified carbon credit standards.

Our Project Get in Touch
2,500+Years of proven results
1,000+Years biochar stays in soil
~2.5tCO₂ sequestered per tonne of biochar
−CO₂Net carbon negative process
What we produce

Biochar: What It Is and How It's Made

Biochar is a stable, carbon-rich material produced when organic matter — such as wood waste — is heated in a low-oxygen environment through a process called pyrolysis. The result is a highly porous charcoal that transforms soil and locks carbon away for centuries.

Unlike open burning, which releases carbon into the atmosphere, pyrolysis converts biomass carbon into a form that stays in the ground — feeding soil biology and improving land for generations.

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Local Wood Waste Feedstock

Forestry offcuts, sawmill residues, and biomass surplus — material that would otherwise be burned or landfilled.

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Pyrolysis (Certified Equipment)

Biomass is heated to 400–700°C in a controlled, oxygen-limited environment using industrial pyrolysis equipment that meets carbon credit certification standards.

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Biochar

A stable, porous carbon structure with a surface area of up to 400 m² per gram — durable, measurable, and certifiable as permanent carbon removal.

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Soil Application

Biochar applied to agricultural land improves fertility, water retention, and microbial life — while keeping carbon locked in the ground for over 1,000 years.

Ancient proof

Terra Preta: The Dark Earth of the Amazon

Biochar isn't a new idea. Scattered across the Amazon basin are patches of extraordinarily dark, fertile soil — so rich they stand in stark contrast to the poor red laterite earth that surrounds them. This is Terra Preta, Portuguese for "dark earth," and it is one of humanity's most remarkable agricultural legacies.

500
BC
500 BC – 1500 AD

Indigenous Amazonian peoples create Terra Preta by burying charred biomass, bone, and organic matter — a slow, deliberate practice carried on over centuries.

50s
1950s — Scientific Discovery

Dutch soil scientist Wim Sombroek first documents Terra Preta in his PhD thesis, noting its astonishing fertility compared to surrounding Amazon soils.

90s
1990s–2000s — The Biochar Connection

Researchers identify charcoal (biochar) as the key active ingredient. The soil is also found to be self-regenerating — a discovery that sparked global interest.

Now
Today — Global Scale-Up

Biochar is now produced commercially on six continents. It is recognised by the IPCC as a legitimate Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technology and is traded on international carbon markets.

"Terra Preta soils remain extraordinarily fertile after more than two thousand years — a testament to the enduring power of biochar in the soil."
— Bruno Glaser, University of Bayreuth
Rich dark earth
Terra Preta soils — found at over 800 documented sites across South America — remain among the most fertile soils in the Amazon, thousands of years after they were created. They contain up to 70 times more biochar than surrounding soils.

What makes Terra Preta remarkable

  • 🏆Up to 70× more stable carbon than surrounding soils
  • 🌿Self-regenerating — continues improving over centuries
  • 🦠10–1,000× more microbial diversity than adjacent soils
  • 💧Exceptional water and nutrient retention
  • ⏳Stable for 2,000–8,000 years — still productive today
Why it matters

The Benefits of Biochar

Biochar improves soil, sequesters carbon, and creates a cascade of agricultural and environmental benefits that compound over time.

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Carbon Sequestration

Biochar locks carbon into a stable form that persists in soil for hundreds to thousands of years. The pyrolysis process is carbon negative — it removes more CO₂ equivalent from the atmosphere than it emits. Each tonne of biochar sequesters approximately 2.5–3 tonnes of CO₂.

Climate
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Improved Crop Yields

Trials worldwide show biochar consistently boosts crop yields — often by 10–40%, and in depleted soils by considerably more. It improves nutrient availability, root development, and soil biology, giving crops a stronger foundation.

Agriculture
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Water Retention

Biochar's porous structure holds water like a sponge — reducing irrigation needs in sandy or degraded soils. This builds resilience to drought and reduces water stress on crops, increasingly important in a variable climate.

Water
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Soil Biology

Biochar's vast internal surface area (up to 400 m² per gram) creates habitat for billions of beneficial soil microorganisms — the foundation of healthy, productive agricultural land.

Soil
♻️

Wood Waste Valorisation

Biochar transforms a disposal problem into a durable resource. Forestry and sawmill residues that would otherwise be burned or landfilled are converted into a soil amendment that lasts for millennia — a true circular economy outcome.

Circular Economy
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Reduced Soil Emissions

Agricultural soils are significant sources of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄). Biochar has been shown to reduce these soil emissions by 20–80%, adding measurable climate benefit beyond carbon storage alone.

Climate
Our project

Agri Pyro — What We're Building

Agri Pyro is a Québec-based biochar production project currently in development. The company is incorporated and we are actively working to establish a production facility that converts local wood waste into certified biochar.

The project is designed from the ground up to meet the requirements of internationally recognised carbon credit certification — using vetted industrial pyrolysis equipment that allows emissions to be accurately measured and reported.

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Local Wood Waste Feedstock

Sourced from regional forestry operations, sawmills, and biomass surplus — addressing a real local waste management challenge.

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Certified Industrial Equipment

The plant will use industrial pyrolysis units vetted by carbon credit certification bodies — ensuring emissions are measurable and the biochar qualifies for carbon markets.

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Agricultural Soil Application

Biochar applied directly to Québec farmland — improving soil structure, water retention, and long-term fertility for local agriculture.

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Puro.earth Carbon Credit Pathway

The project is being developed in alignment with Puro.earth standards — one of the world's leading biochar carbon removal marketplaces.

Project Overview

Location Québec, Canada
Stage Incorporated — development phase
Feedstock Local wood waste & forestry residues
Technology Industrial pyrolysis (carbon credit vetted)
Output Certified biochar for agricultural use
Carbon market Puro.earth (CDR methodology)

A Proven Model

Québec already has world-class examples of industrial biomass valorisation and biochar production operating at scale — demonstrating that this model works and that the necessary supply chains, expertise, and markets exist in this province.

Carbon markets

Biochar and Carbon Credits

Biochar is one of the few technologies recognised by the IPCC as genuine Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) — meaning the carbon it sequesters is considered permanently removed from the atmosphere, not just offset.

This distinction matters. Biochar carbon credits command a premium on voluntary carbon markets because the removal is durable, measurable, and verifiable — qualities that are increasingly demanded by corporate buyers with net-zero commitments.

1
Certified Equipment

Carbon credit certification requires industrial pyrolysis equipment that allows continuous monitoring of process temperatures and emissions — open-trough or uncontrolled systems do not qualify.

2
Feedstock Traceability

The source of the wood waste must be documented — origin, volume, and sustainability credentials. Québec's forestry sector provides strong traceability through existing certification systems.

3
Biochar Analysis

Each batch of biochar is tested for carbon content, stability (H:C ratio), and quality — confirming how much CO₂ is permanently sequestered per tonne produced.

4
Credits Issued & Sold

Verified carbon removal units are issued and can be sold to corporate buyers through platforms like Puro.earth, generating revenue alongside biochar product sales.

Puro.earth

puro.earth · Carbon Removal Marketplace
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Puro.earth is one of the world's leading marketplaces for high-quality, engineered carbon removal — including biochar. It connects producers with corporate buyers seeking verified CDR credits.

✅

Agri Pyro's project is being developed in alignment with Puro.earth's biochar methodology, which specifies the equipment, measurement, and reporting standards required for credit issuance.

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Only industrial pyrolysis units that allow full emissions monitoring qualify under Puro.earth standards. Agri Pyro is scoping equipment from vetted manufacturers that meet these requirements.

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Biochar carbon removal credits (CORCs) currently trade at a significant premium over forestry offsets — reflecting their permanence, measurability, and additionality.

Why Biochar CDR Stands Apart

  • ⏳Permanence — carbon locked in soil for 1,000+ years, not 50–100 like forestry
  • 📐Measurability — carbon content tested and quantified per batch
  • ➕Additionality — wood waste that would otherwise decompose or burn
  • 🌾Co-benefits — soil improvement, reduced fertiliser use, farm productivity
Funding landscape

Support for Biochar Projects in Canada

A growing number of federal and provincial programs support projects that combine agricultural innovation, waste valorisation, and carbon reduction — the three pillars of the Agri Pyro model.

Federal

AgriInnovate Program

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada program supporting the commercialisation of innovative agricultural technologies and processes, including soil health and carbon farming projects.

Federal

NRCan — Biomass Programs

Natural Resources Canada supports forest biomass valorisation projects — converting wood residues and forestry byproducts into energy and value-added materials including biochar.

Federal

SDTC / SCI

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (now Sustainable Canadian Industrial solutions) has historically supported clean technology projects including carbon removal and waste-to-resource innovations.

Québec

RECYC-QUÉBEC

Québec's residual materials management body funds projects that divert organic and woody waste from landfill and combustion — directly aligned with a wood waste biochar model.

Québec

Transition énergétique Québec

TEQ supports projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Québec, including biomass energy recovery and carbon sequestration initiatives in the agricultural sector.

Québec Agri

MAPAQ — Agri-Climate Programs

The Québec Ministry of Agriculture supports farmers and agri-businesses adopting practices that reduce emissions and improve soil carbon — including biochar soil amendment projects.

Note: Grant program details, eligibility criteria, and intake periods change regularly. Agri Pyro is actively exploring these avenues as part of our project development. If you work with or administer any of these programs, we would welcome a conversation.
Get in touch

Let's Talk

We welcome inquiries from grant programs, agricultural organisations, biomass suppliers, and anyone interested in what Agri Pyro is building.

info@agripyro.ca