--- **Project Highlights** - Amata Green’s biochar production facility will process waste from the olive growers and mills, and turn it into biochar through pyrolysis - The pilot project will produce at least 10,000 tons of carbon credits. After a year, production and the carbon removal capacity of the facility will be doubled. - The biochar will be applied to soils to mitigate against nutrient leaching and enrich agricultural soils. **The Methodology** Biochar is a carbon-rich material that sequesters carbon for hundreds to thousands of years. Beyond carbon sequestration, biochar can: - help soils retain nutrients and water to improve soil productivity - remove pollutants in wastewater and contaminated sites - accompany the generation of renewable energy Project Background Organic biomass like plants contain carbon. When the organic biomass decays, it releases carbon (and other gasses) back into the atmosphere. Pyrolysis of the biomass interrupts this cycle. Pyrolysis binds the plant's carbon molecules tightly and locks them into a stable form called biochar. Biochar remains stable for up to a thousand years, making it an excellent carbon sink. Additionally, the facility will only process biomass that is sustainably sourced, or considered waste from another industry. Amata Green will be building a biochar production facility in Spain, the Heart of Olive Country for the world. The region of Spain in which the facilities will be located consists of economically depressed villages. It is currently conventional to compost or burn, in open air, waste biomass from this industry. The facility will transform the waste biomass into a valuable product which can then be put back into the soils. Not only will this project avoid emissions by diverting waste biomass from being burned, the resultant biochar placed will enrich soils, reduce heat stress to the trees, allow aquifer recharge, help landscapes resist erosion and mitigate nutrient leaching. Amata Green’s facilities will also bring jobs, income, and economic diversity to these small villages.