EBC Certification of Biochar

The European Industry Standard

Carbon Sink Certification

Nikolas Hagemann, Hans-Peter Schmidt, ithaka institute for carbon strategies, Switzerland The EBC Standard – short facts

• Certification of biochar since 2011

• Industry standard (EBI recognized), legally binding in some countries

• Independent government accredited on site control • Accredited laboratories and specified biochar analyses

• Today 31 biochar companies from 10 countries certified • For Biochar producers, refiners/processing plants, traders

• First Carbon Sink Certification since 2020

• The EBC is developed and owned by the Foundation Ithaka Institute The Goals of EBC

• Define biochar based on scientific evidence and • Ensure safety of use of biochar • Ensure sustainability of biochar • Conformity with national or EU regulations • Market transparency through partial disclosure of analyses What the EBC Standard does not intend to do:

– Demonstrate the suitability of a biochar for a specific application, where this goes beyond classification in EBC classes

– To demonstrate the „excellence“ of a biochar with regard to properties or performance. Biochar Definition

Biochar is a porous, carbonaceous material that is produced by pyrolysis of plant biomasses and is applied in such a way that the contained carbon remains stored as a long term C sink or replaces fossil carbon in industrial manufacturing. It is not made to be burnt for energy generation. Who knows what biochar is? 5 μm SEM

Deborah, Xanat – EAWAG Zurich

EU-COST Action on Biochar WG1 – October 2013 BC 3 BC 2 BC 1 Different feedstock - different char

Physicochemical properties Electrical a Ash Content b 2 -1 pH Conductivity WHC (%) SBET (m g ) (%) (750°C) Sample (µs/cm)

S.D. S.D. S.D. S.D. S.D.

Wood 10.4± 0.0 1183 ± 205 266± 16 10.6± 0.2 407.2± 5.2 Paper- 10.4± 0.1 336± 46 233± 14 25.1± 1.0 116.9 ± 2.0 Sludge Sewage- 6.7± 0.2 162± 57 27± 5 69.5± 0.3 67.3± 1.3 Sludge Schmidt HP,(Delinat Institute), Abiven S (University Zurich), Kammann C (University Giessen), Glaser B (University Halle), Bucheli T (ART Reckenholz), Haren Rv (Kiemkracht), Starmann I (InKnowCom), Leifeld J (ART Reckenholz) EBC application classes

• EBC-Agro • EBC-AgroOrganic • EBC-Feed • EBC-Material Pillars of the EBC-Certificate

1. Sustainable provision and production of biomass feedstock 2. Energy efficient, low emission pyrolysis technique 3. Biochar quality – low contaminant level 4. Low hazard use and application of biochar Feedstock

3. Biomass feedstock

1. Only plant biomasses may be used to produce biochar. The EBC positive list (Appendix 1) indicates which biomasses are permissible for each application class.

2. The clean separation of non-organic substances such as metals, construction waste, electronic scrap, etc. must be guaranteed.

3. For the production of EBC-Feed, EBC-Agro, and EBC-AgroOrganic, the biomasses used must not contain any paint residues, solvents or other potentially toxic impurities.

4. For the production of EBC-Feed, EBC-Agro, and EBC-AgroOrganic, contamination of the biomass by plastic and rubber waste must be effectively and safely reduced to below 1% (m/m). For the production of EBC-Material quality, plastic and rubber contents of up to 15% can be accepted, though these are subject to declaration and require the written approval of the EBC. In the latter case, the EBC may request additional analyses to ensure the safety of the product and its application. Feedstock positive list

http://www.european-biochar.org/biochar/media/doc/feedstock.pdf Feedstock

3. Biomass feedstock

1. Only plant biomasses may be used to produce biochar. The EBC positive list (Appendix 1) indicates which biomasses are permissible for each application class.

2. The clean separation of non-organic substances such as metals, construction waste, electronic scrap, etc. must be guaranteed.

3. For the production of EBC-Feed, EBC-Agro, and EBC-AgroOrganic, the biomasses used must not contain any paint residues, solvents or other potentially toxic impurities.

- Companies may apply for new feedstock and new application classes via EBI - Risk assessment and certification guidelines are developed by Ithaka Institute - Discussion of the draft amendment / draft standard with EBI - Approval by Scientific Board of EBC (scientists from Germany, Italy and Switzerland) Sampling Sampling

Experimental evidence for high variability of PAH-concentrations in a batch of biochar

Biochar properties

6. Biochar properties

The aim of the EBC certificate is to guaranty compliance with all environmentally relevant thresholds and to declare those product properties which are relevant for the respective application class and that can be analyzed at reasonable cost. [...]

6.1 The biochar's carbon content must be declared.

6.2 The molar H/Corg ratio must be less than 0.7

6.5 The biochar nutrient contents must be provided.

6.6 The following thresholds for heavy metals must not be exceeded Heavy metals Further biochar properties

6. Biochar properties

6.7 pH, bulk density, and water content must be declared.

6.8 The determination of the water holding capacity (WHC) is recommended

6.9 Specific surface area must be declared, pore size distribution is recommended as additional parameter

6.10 Thresholds for PAH contents (sum of the 16 priority pollutants of EPA) must not be exceeded

6.11 Thresholds for PCB and PCDD/F must be observed Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon

EBC-Feed and EBC-AgroOrganic 4 mg kg-1 DM (according to both the Swiss Ordinance on Risk Reduction related to Chemical Products (ChemRRV [10]) and the EU Organic Farming Ordinance [2])

EBC-Agro 6 mg kg-1 DM (according to the new EU fertilizer ordinance.)

EBC-Material 35 mg kg-1 TM (this limit value is based on what can be regarded as harmless to employees handling these substances without special protective measures such as protective clothing, packaging, storage ventilation etc.) Analytical Methods Method development Acredited Laboratories

mas | münster analytical solutions gmbh Technologiepark Münster Wilhelm-Schickard-Straße 5 D-48149 Münster Pyrolysis Technology

Gasification is understood as being part of the pyrolysis technology spectrum and can, if optimized for biochar production, be equally certified under the EBC.

7. Pyrolysis

7.1 Biomass pyrolysis must be operated in an energy efficient manner. With the exception of the preheating of the pyrolysis reactor, the use of fossil fuels for heating the pyrolysis reactor is prohibited. The use of waste heat from other industrial processes, such as bio-digesters or cement production or the use of solar thermal energy is permitted. If the pyrolysis reactor is electrically heated, the use of renewable energy sources or the use of surplus electricity must be proven.

7.2 The pyrolysis gases produced during pyrolysis must be recovered or burned. They are not allowed to escape into the atmosphere.

7.3 Syngas combustion must comply with national emission thresholds.

7.4 The heat produced by the pyrolysis process must be used. 4. Definition of biochar batches

A biochar production batch is defined as:

1. The pyrolysis temperature in °C must not change by more than 20 % during production.

2. The blend of different types of biomass listed in the EBC positive list may not change by more than 20 percentage points. 3. The production period of a batch is limited to a maximum of one year, including all possible interruptions in production. Further control parameters

• Work safety and health • Biochar sampling • Retention samples • Certification of biochar- based products and biochar processing companies • Labeling and Advertising with EBC Certification 13. Control and certification

• Independent on-site control (governmental approved) • Annual on-site inspection • Continous batch and product certification Next steps

• New Standard „EBC Pyrogenic Fertilizer“ and “EBC Pyrogenic Materials“ will be developed in 2021

• Country Annex: Annexes to the EBC confirming the conformity of EBC certified biochar with national regulations (e.g. through stricter limits or additional analyses) – voluntary for biochar producers, no impact on overall standard – first example: Sweden 31 EBC certified companies Cost

• Annual control (bioInspecta): 1,500 – 2,000 Eur • Biochar analyses per batch (Laboratory): 700 – 1,000 Eur • EBC label fee (Ithaka): 300 – 450 Eur • Inscription & first audit (Ithaka): 400 Eur

• C-sink certification: 1 Eur per t CO2eq Types of certified companies

• Biochar producer • Manufacturer of biochar based products • Biochar and biochar based product trader

• Carbon Sink trader

• Pyrolysis Type Certification How to register How to register How to register

Unique QR per Batch

______Schmidt, Hans-Peter ithaka institute for carbon strategies www.ithaka-institut.org [email protected]

Biochar certification, analysis & consulting: www.european-biochar.org