Takachar
Climate Transformation Fund • India
Bringing biochar production to the field
Takachar produces biochar with a new mobile, low-cost, MIT-developed technology that can latch on tractors and pick-up trucks. The advanced equipment is brought to farmers' fields where the waste biomass they have available is turned into biochar, mixed together with nutrients to be applied on the farmers own fields. In many cases, biomass that otherwise would have been burnt in open air is used, avoiding air pollution. Sales of carbon removal credits subsidise the process, enabling them to scale and serve lower-income farmers as well as new regions where biochar would not be economically feasible in the first place. Waste heat from the equipment can be utilised for value addition such as crop drying, or running small boilers.
Durable carbon removal (CDR)
CDR is one of the most crucial solutions to reach and maintain net-zero emissions and limit global warming. To counterbalance fossil emissions from the long carbon cycle, the carbon removed needs to be stored durably. While solutions for durably removing carbon are still nascent, pre-purchasing carbon removal from startups can help kickstart the sector, making it an affordable and climate-relevant solution in the future. When credits or certificates are bought, they will be retired, meaning they cannot be resold and will not be counted as financial instruments.
Biochar
The process of heating biomass in an oxygen-free environment, known as pyrolysis, to stabilize the carbon. The biochar is often applied to soil to increase its properties, including water retention capacity.
Durable carbon removal (CDR)
Namibia
PyroCCS pioneers sustainable industrial biochar carbon removal in the Global South, deploying its own low-cost, robust, pyrolysis systems powered by renewable energy and backed by a digital measurement and reporting solution. These plants efficiently convert invasive acacia bushes in Namibia, a significant threat to the savanna ecosystem, into high-quality biochar, while providing critical employment in regions with high youth unemployment rates. PyroCCS's scalable technology, which they are also offering as a solution to other project developers, not only captures carbon but also supports local agricultural and environmental recovery as well as food security.
Durable carbon removal (CDR)
South Africa
CHAI will work on the high impact project of transitioning a portfolio of hospitals in South Africa's Western Cape Province to renewable energy. This could be a high impact measure that is currently not occurring due to the limited capacity of the department of health and because of bureaucratic hurdles to innovative financial and energy contracts. The project has the potential to reduce emissions by hundreds of thousands of tons, and leverages CHAI's extensive experience in health sector procurement and innovative finance.
Durable carbon removal (CDR)
Tanzania
This project develops a mobile app for regreening techniques like Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). The app delivers real-time, location-specific advice directly to farmers' phones. This approach reduces intervention costs by eliminating the need for in-person visits to every location. We already support Justdiggit’s regular work since 2021, and now added this project because it builds on proven FMNR methods, increasing cost-efficiency and potential for rapid scaling in dry landscapes.