I’m struggling with trying to understand what documentation is needed for certification under each standard. Can you help me decipher the requirements? – Drowning in Paperwork
Dear Drowning in Paperwork,
Absolutely. I feel your pain, and I have a lot of sympathy for someone in your shoes! We’ve all been there: buried in a sea of acronyms, buzzwords, and overlapping standards just trying to make sense of what’s required and how to deliver it. Unfortunately, each standard does things a bit differently, so there’s no single universal roadmap, but let’s start with the fundamentals.
At a high level, most registries require three key documents: a Project Design Document (PDD), a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model, and a Monitoring Plan. Alongside these, you’ll also submit supporting evidence to verify the claims in your PDD and LCA and in some cases there may be additional reports or forms you’ll need to amend, but these are typically project-specific.
Project Design Document (PDD)
The PDD is the qualitative blueprint of your project. It describes what you’re doing, how it meets registry criteria, and how you define your project boundaries. Most registries provide a template, so it’s best to start there to ensure you cover all required sections.
Key components of the PDD (in this case, I’ve used Isometric as the base) include:
| Component |
Description |
| Eligibility requirements |
How the project meets the protocol's specific criteria for technology, geography, feedstock, and exclusions. |
| Technical description |
Carbonization process overview including technology, operating parameters, conversion efficiency, and biochar yield. |
| Project boundary |
Activities and emissions included from the project (e.g. feedstock collection, pyrolysis, application, etc). |
| Project participants and locations |
All key entities involved, their roles, and geographic locations including GPS coordinates or addresses of facilities and application sites. |
| Baseline |
The business-as-usual scenario, meaning what would have happened to the biomass (incineration, decomposition, landfilling) without the project activities. |
| Leakage |
Unintended emissions outside the project boundary from land-use change, feedstock displacement, or market effects. |
| Additionality |
Proof carbon removal requires carbon credit finance via project financial viability, environmental benefits, and regulatory compliance demonstrations. |
| Regulatory compliance |
Documentation of meeting all local, state, and federal permits and regulations. |
| Durability |
Expected carbon storage timeframe based on biochar stability (200 or 1,000 years for Isometric) |
| Risk of reversal |
Potential scenarios for carbon re-release (e.g. fires) with probabilities and mitigation strategies. |
| Monitoring and data collection |
Tracking system including measurement protocols, data management, quality control, chain of custody, and reporting timelines. |
| Uncertainty |
Sensitivity analysis of how parameter variations affect carbon removal calculations. |
| Environmental and social impacts |
Effects on ecosystems and communities, assessment methods, and mitigation measures. |
| Sustainable Development Goals |
Contributions to UN SDGs (e.g. Climate Action, Affordable and Clean Energy, Responsible Consumption and Production) |
| Adaptive management |
Emergency response plans for equipment failures, fires, disasters, and regulatory changes. |
| Project closure |
End-of-project plans for decommissioning, disposal, and project end-of-life. |
| Pollution prevention |
Emission controls, wastewater management, noise reduction, dust suppression, and compliance measures. |
| Site selection |
Location rationale considering feedstock availability, infrastructure, regulations, and community acceptance. |
| Co-benefits |
Benefits beyond carbon removal (e.g. renewable energy, soil health, waste management, crop yields, jobs) |
| Stakeholder input process |
Community engagement through consultations, meetings, surveys, grievance procedures, and feedback incorporation. |
| Reactor design |
Technical specifications including reactor type, materials, heating mechanisms, capacity, and installed sensors. |
| Sampling procedure |
Sample collection protocols including frequency, locations, methods, and chain of custody. |
| Biochar characterization |
Laboratory analyses of carbon content, stability metrics (H:C ratio), test methods, frequency, and certified labs. |
| Feedstock sourcing |
Biomass origin, types, collection methods, transportation, sustainability verification, and legal documentation. |
| Biochar Application |
Biochar incorporation methods (broadcasting, tillage, injection), rates, depths, timing, sites, and tracking systems. |
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
The LCA quantifies your project’s net carbon removals by balancing greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration. For certain registries, like Isometric for instance, you’ll be required to build this model directly in their platform (e.g. Certify). Other registries like Puro or Climate Action Reserve often use Excel or Google Sheets templates.
The key components of a standard LCA include:
| Component |
Description |
| Operational emissions |
Emissions from project activities: feedstock sourcing, transport, and processing, pyrolysis gas losses, facility energy and fuel use, biochar processing, transport, and application, and ongoing consumables/maintenance items (e.g. water or lubricant oil). |
| Embodied emissions |
Emissions from facility construction, equipment manufacturing, infrastructure development, and initial surveys or feasibility assessments. |
| End of life emissions |
Anticipated emissions from future deconstruction, disposal of equipment, vehicles, buildings, and other infrastructure at project closure. |
| Biochar carbon stored |
Total organic carbon captured in produced biochar, converted to CO2 equivalent. |
| Biochar carbon permanence |
Fraction of stored carbon retained over time.
Isometric methods:
- 200-year based on H:Corg ratio and soil temperature
- 1,000-year based on random reflectance testing
|
Monitoring Plan
Your Monitoring Plan defines what, how, and when you’ll measure key parameters. This forms the foundation of your Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system.
A solid plan outlines:
- Parameters to be measured (e.g. feedstock mass, reactor temperature, biochar yield, etc.).
- Who collects and verifies data. (e.g. Joe, your trusty ops guys)
- Tools and frequency of measurement. (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, or annually)
- Data management and quality control procedures. (e.g. are you using a digital MRV system like Mangrove Systems to automate data collection)
Putting It All Together
Think of the PDD as your project’s story, the LCA as its math, and the Monitoring Plan as its accountability system. Together, these pieces form the core of your certification package.
The complete data set, including all supporting evidence, is submitted to the registry at the time of project registration and is then periodically updated and reviewed throughout the crediting period as the project evolves.
Once you understand how these components connect, the documentation process becomes much more straightforward. Each piece supports the next, creating a clear and verifiable record of your project’s design, performance, and impact over time.
Sustainably yours,
Annie Nichols
GM of Biochar, Mangrove Systems
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