Pyrolysis is heating biomass in an oxygen-free chamber so it breaks down into three products — a solid biochar, a liquid bio-oil, and a syngas — rather than combusting and releasing CO2.

Biochar is a stable, carbon-rich charcoal produced by pyrolysis; because its carbon locks in for centuries, it is used both to improve soils and to generate durable carbon-removal credits.

Bio-oil is the condensed liquid captured from pyrolysis vapours. It can substitute for industrial fuel oil, or be refined further into chemicals and specialty products.

MRV — Measurement, Reporting and Verification — is the audit chain that turns a carbon-removal claim into a tradeable credit by making the numbers measurable, transparent and independently checked.

What is CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal)?

CDR is any method that pulls existing CO2 out of the atmosphere and stores it durably. Biochar is one of a small number of CDR pathways operating at commercial scale today.

The European Biochar Certificate is a quality and safety standard for biochar. Its top tier, EBC Feed, certifies material clean enough to be used in animal feed.

The terms behind the technology.

Biochar, pyrolysis, and carbon markets come with a lot of acronyms. Here's what they actually mean.

The Basics

Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of organic material at high temperature without oxygen.

Unlike burning, which needs oxygen and just releases CO₂, pyrolysis breaks biomass down into three outputs: a solid (biochar), a liquid (bio-oil), and a gas (syngas).

Tanren

At Tanren, pyrolysis is the core reactor technology we design, build and operate — because the difference between a spec-sheet pyrolysis system and one that actually holds up at 24 TPD is engineering discipline the team has already lived through.

Fig. 01 · The pyrolysis process, end-to-end

Biochar

Biochar is the solid, carbon-rich material left after pyrolysis.

Its defining feature is stability — the carbon in biochar resists breaking back down into CO₂ for centuries, which is why it works both as a soil amendment and as a durable way to remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Tanren

Tanren biochar is engineered to EBC Feed-grade quality, which unlocks both premium soil-amendment markets and higher-priced carbon-removal credit registries.

Bio-Oil

Bio-oil is the liquid output of pyrolysis, formed when vapors released during the process are rapidly cooled and condensed.

It can be refined into fuels or chemicals, or used directly as an industrial fuel replacement.

Tanren

Tanren works on end-use application engineering for bio-oil so a facility doesn't produce a liquid it can't sell — industrial fuel replacement, distillation to specialty chemicals, or building materials support are all validated pathways.

Syngas

Syngas is the gaseous output of pyrolysis — a mix of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and other gases.

It is often used to power the process itself.

Carbon & Climate

CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal): Any process that actively removes CO₂ already in the atmosphere and stores it durably. Biochar is one of the few CDR methods commercially deployable at scale today.
Tanren
Biochar sits at the intersection of the fastest-scaling CDR pathways — which is why Tanren treats every plant we engineer as a CDR project from day one, not an afterthought.
Carbon Credit: A tradeable certificate representing one tonne of CO₂ removed or avoided, generated once carbon removal is independently verified.
MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification): The process of proving a carbon removal claim is real — measuring how much carbon was captured, reporting it transparently, and having a third party verify the numbers.
Tanren
Tanren designs MRV frameworks and field-sampling protocols into the plant itself, so every tonne of carbon claimed is a tonne that stands up in an audit.
LCA (Life Cycle Assessment): A full accounting of a product's environmental impact across its entire life, confirming a project is a genuine net-positive once every input is accounted for.
Additionality: Proof that a carbon removal project wouldn't have happened anyway without it — a core requirement for issuing carbon credits.

Certification & Standards

EBC (European Biochar Certificate): A widely recognized quality and safety standard for biochar, covering feedstock, process, and contaminant limits. Includes a “Feed” category certified safe for animal feed use.
Tanren
Our TP 24 system is engineered to produce EBC Feed-grade biochar — the highest EBC tier — so operators unlock premium markets from commissioning day.
ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification): A global certification proving biomass and biofuels meet sustainability requirements, often required for EU markets.
Puro.earth / Gold Standard / Verra: Independent carbon credit registries that verify removal claims and issue tradeable credits once a project meets their methodology requirements.

Engineering & Project Terms

FEED (Front-End Engineering Design): Detailed technical planning before construction, defining how a plant will be built and sized.
P&ID (Piping and Instrumentation Diagram): A detailed drawing showing every pipe, valve, and control system in a plant.
PFD / UFD (Process / Utility Flow Diagram): High-level diagrams of main process steps and supporting utilities like steam and power.
HMBD (Heat & Mass Balance Diagram): Tracks material and energy in and out of a plant at every stage, confirming a design will actually perform as expected.
TEA / TEEA (Techno-Economic Assessment): Evaluates whether a project makes financial sense; TEEA extends this into environmental and social factors.
DPR / PDD (Detailed Project Report / Project Design Document): The comprehensive document laying out a project's technical, financial, and carbon methodology details.
CAPEX / OPEX: Upfront cost to build a plant vs. ongoing cost to run it.
HAZOP (Hazard and Operability Study): A structured safety review identifying potential hazards before construction.
ATFE (Agitated Thin Film Evaporator): Equipment used to purify liquids like bio-oil via thin-film evaporation.
PLC / SCADA: PLC is the hardware that automates plant operations; SCADA is the software letting operators monitor and control it remotely.

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