Biomass feedstock
V1.0
Last updated
V1.0
Last updated
Riverse SAS
Module name | Biomass feedstock |
Module category | Carbon capture |
Methodology name | Biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) |
Version | 1.0 |
Methodology ID | RIV-BICRS-CC-BMF-V1.0 |
Release date | September 12th, 2024 |
Status | Public consultation |
This is a Carbon Capture Module and covers the sourcing of biomass feedstock for carbon storage projects. This module is part of the Riverse BiCRS methodology, which allows Project Developers to choose the relevant modules for their project, and shall be used with the necessary accompanying modules.
See more details on how modules are organized in the the BiCRS home page.
This module covers the provisioning of biomass feedstock that is destined for permanent carbon removal and storage. Eligible biomasses are those that:
could not have been used as main material products,
were not grown for the purpose of or bioenergy production.
For simplification, all feedstocks that meet the above requirements will be referred to hereafter as waste.
Biomass feedstocks are categorized accordingly:
| Biomass type | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
Forest waste from secondary forest | Natural but not primary old-growth forest, may still be managed for timber | Default if no other forest type can be proven |
Forest waste from managed forest | Managed mixed-use forests that may include agroforestry, plantations or rotational logging | Must provide proof |
Necessary tree removal from any forest | Damaged trees, or trees removed for planned forest management such as preventing disease spread or fires | Must provide proof |
Agricultural residues with prior use | Residues left on soil to decompose | Default if prior use could not be determined |
Agricultural residues with no prior use | Plowed into soil, burnt in the field, no substantial return of nutrients to soil | Must provide proof |
Other waste or residue | To be evaluated on a case by case basis according to criteria outlined in the present document | Must provide proof |
The Project Developer and entity eligible for receiving carbon finance the user of biomass feedstock who enables the permanent carbon storage. This is further specified in the corresponding carbon storage module.
Land owners or managers where biomass is cultivated or collected are not eligible Project Developers.
Depending on the project type, chemical analyses may be performed on the biomass feedstock or on the final carbon storage solution (e.g. biochar). The accompanying carbon storage module shall specify at which stage chemical analyses should be performed.
If chemical analyses of feedstock are required, Project Developers shall follow the instructions in the Sampling Requirements page to ensure a random and representative sampling procedure.
Chemical analyses shall be defined by the carbon storage module and may include but are not limited to:
| Indicator | Purpose |
|---|---|
Organic carbon content | Determining amount of carbon removed |
Total carbon content | Determining amount of carbon removed |
C:N ratio | Stability of biomass |
Moisture content | Mass conversions |
The eligibility criteria requirements specific to this module are detailed in the sections below. Other eligibility criteria requirements shall be taken from the accompanying modules and methodologies:
Project Developers shall prove that the project does not contribute to substantial environmental and social harms.
Projects must follow all European, national, and local environmental regulations related to, for example, biomass harvesting, and forest management.
In addition to completing the Biomass feedstock risk assessment described below, Project Developers must prove the following elements.
Project Developers shall provide proof that the biomass feedstock is classified as waste. This can be done via any of the following three methods:
Price: if Project Developers did not pay for the biomass, or if they were paid to handle it, the biomass can be considered waste. Acceptable proof includes invoices, receipts, or contracts.
Contextual analysis: Project Developers may submit an analysis supported by reputable sources that the biomass 1) could not be used as main material products, and 2) was not grown for the purpose of .
Positive list of wastes: if the biomass is included in the following list, it can be considered waste. Acceptable proof includes invoices, receipts, contracts, or photographic evidence shall be used for validation:
sawmill residues
sawdust
shavings
bark
forestry tops and branches
wildfire management residues
straw
husks
corn cobs
wood from horticulture
nut shells
bagasse
sugar beet pulp
Project Developers shall fill in the Biomass feedstock risk evaluation, to evaluate the identified environmental and social risks of projects. The identified risks include:
Disruption of soil health when collecting and exporting organic matter
Presence of heavy metals, toxins or other chemical pollutants in the biomass
Spread of diseases or invasive species
Cultivation of feedstock
Deforestation from use of forestry products as feedstock
Distant transport of feedstock inputs (>100 km)
Biomass feedstock sourcing must not contribute to activity shifting leakage.
The requirement that biomass feedstock must be classified as waste prevents activity shifting leakage. Consequently, the evidence provided in the "Environmental and Social Do No Harm" section shall also be applied here to verify that the feedstock is waste.
Several other types of leakage risks are already covered by other components of this module, and require no additional proof from Project Developers:
Displacement from previous use: replacement emissions are included in the Project Scenario modeling.
Displacement from soil carbon storage: a small amount of soil carbon storage is assumed and modeled in the Baseline Scenario, effectively deducted from the project's carbon storage.
Upstream and downstream emissions: considered in the life-cycle based GHG quantifications in companion modules.
The GHG reduction quantification instructions from all other modules used by the project must be used in conjunction with the present module in order to obtain full life-cycle GHG reduction quantifications.
This section is only required if
the project uses agricultural residue as feedstock, and
if its alternative use was to leave on the field to decompose.
The required primary data for GHG reduction calculations from projects are presented in Table 2.
Table 2 Summary of primary data needed from projects and their source for initial project certification and validation. Asterisks (*) indicate which data are required to be updated annually during verification (see Monitoring Plan section).
| Parameter | Unit | Source |
|---|---|---|
Amount of biomass used | Tonnes of fresh matter | Internal tracking documents, invoices, contracts |
N, P, K and carbon content of biomass | % w/w, fraction, kg/tonne | Laboratory chemical analyses, or local/national agriculture government agencies |
The version 3.10 (hereafter referred to as ecoinvent) shall be the main source of emission factors unless otherwise specified. Ecoinvent is preferred because it is traceable, reliable, and well-recognized. The ecoinvent processes selected are detailed in Appendix 1.
No other secondary data sources are used in this module.
Because the only biomass types allowed are waste, they are assigned no environmental impacts from their production/cultivation stage.
Impacts from following stages, such as harvest, transport, and processing, shall be accounted for in the Processing and energy use module.
The only potential source of emissions from the Project Scenario are emissions from producing replacements for the biomass' alternative use. Project Developers shall identify the alternative use of the biomass as described in the Environmental and Social Do No Harm section.
The only alternative use currently considered in this module is fertilization from leaving residues on fields.
For example, if the alternative use was leaving residues on agricultural fields to decompose, thereby providing nutrients to fertilize soil, then emissions from producing replacement fertilizer shall be included.
It shall be conservatively assumed that the replacement fertilizer for agricultural residues is synthetic mineral N, PO, and KO fertilizer production. These shall be modeled using processes from the .
Values from or local/national agriculture government agencies shall be used for the N, P and K contents of agricultural residues. It shall be assumed that the residue nutrients are replaced on a 1:1 ratio by synthetic mineral nutrients (i.e. 1 kg of N from residues is replaced by 1 kg of N in N fertilizer).
The Baseline Scenario shall include any permanent carbon storage that would have occurred anyway in the absence of the project. This shall be considered if the alternative use of the biomass was to be left on/returned to the soil.
Although the biomass itself would decompose and re-emit its carbon content before the CDR project's permanence horizon, a small fraction of the carbon in that biomass would have been incorporated into the soil and converted to a highly stable form of soil carbon. This amount of carbon shall be accounted for in the Baseline Scenario and effectively deducted from the carbon storage from the project.
The amount of biomass carbon that is 1) naturally incorporated into the soil and 2) converted to a stable form of carbon is highly uncertain and depends on site-specific factors such as climate, soil type, soil health, and land use. Therefore, a default value of 2% of carbon present in the original biomass shall be assumed to be permanently stored in soils.
Carbon present in original biomass may be either measured by the Project Developer, or taken from or local/national agriculture government agencies.
Monitoring Plans for this module shall include, but are not limited to, tracking of the following information for each calendar year:
Mass, type and source of all biomass feedstocks collected by the project.
Sustainable forestry certification (if applicable)
The Project Developer is the party responsible for adhering to the Monitoring Plan.
👉 Download the template here
| Input | Ecoinvent activity name |
|---|---|
Nitrogen mineral fertilizer | market for inorganic nitrogen fertiliser, as N, country specific |
Phosphorus mineral fertilizer | market for inorganic phosphorus fertiliser, as P2O5, country specific |
Potassium mineral fertilizer | market for inorganic potassium fertiliser, as K2O, country specific |
Project Developers shall assign a likelihood and severity score of each risk, and provide an explanation of their choices. The VVB and Riverse’s Certification team shall evaluate the assessment and may recommend changes to the assigned scores.
All risks with a high or very high risk score are subject to a Risk Mitigation Plan, which outlines how Project Developers will mitigate, monitor, report, and if necessary, compensate for any environmental and/or social harms.
Additional proof may be required for certain high risk environmental and social problems.
The Project Developer, the Riverse Certification team, or the VVB may suggest additional risks to be considered for a specific project.
Note that the life-cycle GHG reduction calculations account for the climate change impacts of most environmental risks. Nonetheless, Project Developers shall transparently describe any identified GHG emission risks in the risk evaluation template.
All risk assessments must also address the Minimum ESDNH risks defined in the Riverse Standard Rules.
