Biochar in Brazil: from potential to climate asset

Abstract Brazil is structuring a biochar value chain at the intersection of climate policy and industrial innovation. Although the deployment of this value chain remains at an early stage, recent regulatory advances, particularly the Brazilian Emissions Trading System (SBCE) and emerging technical standards, create new opportunities for biochar to be recognized as a carbon removal strategy. This Comment argues that Brazil’s current momentum represents a critical inflection point, but its success depends on resolving three key challenges: (i) scientific uncertainties and limitations in monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV); (ii) regulatory gaps in standardization and certification; and (iii) the economic mechanisms required to transform biochar into a credible climate asset. By examining recent technological developments, pilot-scale evidence, and institutional arrangements, we highlight both the potential and the constraints that will determine whether biochar can scale as a robust carbon removal solution and a multifunctional technological platform in tropical systems.