Google to Buy Carbon Credits from An Indian Startup that Turns Large Amounts of Agricultural Waste Into Biochar

Google has signed a significant deal to purchase carbon credits from an Indian startup called Varaha. This startup's initiative converts large amounts of agricultural waste into biochar, a form of charcoal that captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil.

The Google-Varah deal is one of the biggest ever involving biochar, and is Google's first foray into India's carbon dioxide removal (CDR) sector.

Varaha is an innovative Indian startup focused on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) through the production of biochar. Varaha converts agricultural waste into biochar using pyrolysis Reactors.

Biochar is a form of charcoal that captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil. Biochar not only helps mitigate CO2 emissions but also improves soil health, offering an alternative to traditional fertilizer.

Key Points:

Carbon Credits: Google has committed to purchase 100,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits from Varaha by 2030 as the catalytic first buyer of biochar credits produced by a Varaha facility in Gujarat, India.

Biochar Production: Varaha sources agricultural waste from hundreds of smallholder farms in India and converts it into biochar using Reactors.

Environmental Impact: Biochar not only helps mitigate CO2 emissions but also improves soil health, offering an alternative to traditional fertilizer.

Scalability: Varaha estimates that India's agricultural waste could generate enough biochar to store more than 100 million tons of CO2 annually.

This partnership is part of Google's broader strategy to achieve its net-zero emissions goal and support scalable solutions to address climate change.

Varaha has raised a total of $12.7 million from prominent funds such as RTP Global, Omnivore, Orios Venture Partners, and Japan’s Norinchukin Bank.

Besides Google, other tech giants are also exploring carbon credit purchases from Indian companies to offset their emissions. While specific deals haven't been widely publicized, companies like Microsoft and Amazon have shown interest in similar initiatives. These companies are looking to support carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects, such as biochar production, to help achieve their sustainability goals.