Supercritical and Ground Up have agreed to expand biochar carbon removal operations across India, turning a pilot project in Maharashtra into a planned multi-site network targeting at least 50,000 tonnes of verified carbon removal by 2028.
The exclusive partnership, announced Thursday, makes Ground Up the first project selected for Supercritical’s Supply Development Program, which works with early-stage carbon removal ventures on the technical, engineering and commercial requirements needed to expand.
Ground Up’s Project Nandani in Kolhapur has already issued its first Isometric-validated carbon removal credits and is expected to deliver 2,500 tonnes this year.
From Pilot To Larger Agricultural Network
The project uses agricultural waste that might otherwise be burned. Farmers in Kolhapur District generate about 2 million tonnes of sugarcane leaves and tops annually, with roughly 85% currently burned in fields. Ground Up collects the residue with a local aggregator and processes it into biochar at a pyrolysis facility.
The resulting biochar is applied to farmland, where the companies say it can store carbon in soil for more than 200 years. Ground Up’s field trials have also recorded yield increases of as much as 38% for sugarcane and 59% for wheat.
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The expansion will add production facilities alongside some of India’s largest sugar mills and could eventually reach a network of more than 550,000 farmers. The first expansion site has been funded and is scheduled to begin production next year.
Steve Morrin, Supercritical’s supply senior manager, said Ground Up had demonstrated that its model could work in practice, with a functioning facility, secured feedstock and an existing farmer network.
For Ground Up, the partnership provides capital and volume commitments as it seeks to move beyond its pilot and develop a larger Indian carbon removal business.
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