Isometric has released a draft module for biochar production using mobile reactors for public consultation. For the first time, this establishes a rigorous framework specifically designed to certify mobile biochar production, enabling projects that transport reactors between sites to meet the same bar for quality and rigor as fixed, industrial-scale facilities.
Mobile biochar reactors are a practical solution for biomass feedstocks—such as agricultural or forestry residues—that are spread across a large area, seasonally available, or generated in volumes too small to justify permanent infrastructure. Rather than transporting biomass long distances, mobile reactors travel to where feedstocks are sourced, reducing the costs and emissions associated with transport, while making use of feedstocks that would otherwise be wasted.
The module enables mobile reactors to be grouped into Mobile Production Groups based on operational equivalence—reactor model, operating parameters, feedstock category, and procedural consistency—enabling composite sampling across the group rather than reactor-by-reactor measurements.
The module also introduces:
- Mass-based composite sampling, replacing time-based triggers
- A conservative methane discount to account for variability in feedstock moisture
- Detailed requirements for post-relocation inspection, instrumentation calibration, and site-specific environmental and social safeguards
Standard Operating Procedures must cover reactor start-up, steady-state operation, shutdown, feedstock preparation, biochar handling, sampling, and relocation. Where direct measurement is not operationally feasible, Isometric applies conservative discounting to ensure every credit represents a tonne of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere.
The module takes a scientifically rigorous approach to monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV). Every batch of biochar must be automatically geotagged with GPS coordinates, and the digital MRV system must support secure offline data logging with tamper-proof timestamps for use in remote areas.
Together, these provisions unlock certification for mobile biochar projects while maintaining scientific integrity across a distributed network of operations.
Martin Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Biochar Club, said:
"Across millions of acres of forest, huge quantities of biomass are burned in place each year to reduce the fuel available to wildfires. We built our technology specifically to convert that material on-site, where it is. The challenge has always been that certification frameworks weren't designed for production that moves. Isometric's module fixes that, and opens up certification for the millions of tons of residual biomass that can only be reached this way."
Nick Cheng, Sustainability & Strategy Manager at Wongphai, said:
"In Prachin Buri, we are proving that 'community-driven' doesn’t mean 'low-standard.' By bringing pyrolysis directly to the source—such as bamboo farms where bamboo residues and offcuts are generated—we eliminate open burning and return carbon to the soil where it belongs. This new module provides the missing link: a rigorous scientific framework that transforms our decentralized operations into high-integrity assets. It gives buyers the same confidence they would find in an industrial facility, proving that world-class carbon removal doesn’t have to happen in a factory; it can happen in the hands of the people who know the land best."
This module was developed in line with the Isometric Standard, through collaboration between Isometric’s in-house Science Team and reviewers from Isometric’s independent Science Network of more than 400 experts and practitioners.
Buyers, suppliers, and scientists are invited to submit comments during the 30-day public consultation period, which closes on April 30, 2026.
