Palayan City,
Philippines
Located in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, the Philippines' rice capital, NuevaChar addresses the critical challenge of agricultural waste management in a region producing over 300,000 tons of rice husk annually. Traditionally, excess rice husk from local mills is either openly burned, releasing greenhouse gases and particulate matter, or dumped in riverbanks, where it decomposes and emits methane. This wasteful practice not only contributes to climate change but also creates public health hazards from air pollution. Thus, NuevaChar exists to transform this liability into an asset by converting rice husk into biochar, a stable carbon-storing soil amendment, while simultaneously regenerating degraded agricultural soils across the province.
The project operates a retrofitted rotary kiln pyrolysis system that thermally converts rice husk into high-quality biochar and syngas through oxygen-limited heating at temperatures between 400-470°C. Rice husks, sourced from nearby mills (average distance 26km), are fed into the rotating cylinder where pyrolysis occurs over approximately 40 minutes, achieving a 40% biochar yield. The resulting syngas undergoes complete combustion, generating clean heat that sustains the process after initial diesel pre-heating. Excess heat is recovered and redirected to the adjacent Provincial Government grain drying facility. Each batch of biochar is individually tagged, weighed to 18kg per bag, and distributed to verified agricultural users including poultry farms, crop farmers, and organic fertilizer producers throughout Nueva Ecija.
The NuevaChar project is the Philippine's first internationally accredited biochar facility, adhering to Puro.earth Biochar Methodology Edition 2022 V3. To ensure rigorous carbon accounting, the facility employs a comprehensive MRV plan at each stage of the project’s life-cycle. Biochar production is monitored with temperature readings recorded every 2 hours across four critical points (rotary kiln, furnace, fire-road, and kiln case). Each biochar bag receives a unique identifier tracking production date and sequential number, enabling precise inventory management. Pre-production moisture testing ensures feedstock quality, while post-production CHNS laboratory analysis confirms biochar composition and carbon content. Biochar application is verified through GPS-tagged delivery locations, sales receipts documenting end-user details, photographic evidence of on-site application, and farmer training protocols. All data is centrally stored in spreadsheets with complete traceability from feedstock delivery through final application, supporting transparent third-party auditing.
Additionally, NuevaChar's financial viability depends critically on carbon credit revenues, which account for 32% of projected lifetime income alongside biochar sales (68%). Without carbon finance, the project would be economically unviable, confirming the financial additionally of the project. Moreover, the Philippines currently has no legal mandates requiring biochar production or rice husk conversion, confirming regulatory additionality.
Biochar produced from rice husk via pyrolysis at 400-470°C creates a highly stable carbon matrix with an H:C ratio (0.52) meeting Puro.earth permanence criteria. The carbon resists microbial decomposition, providing storage measured in centuries to millennia when incorporated into soil. Moreover, NuevaChar implements multiple safeguards ensuring permanence: farmer training ensures proper soil incorporation techniques and contractual agreements prohibit burning or energy use. The project's LCA Model achieves 0.77 tons net CO₂ removal per dry ton of biochar applied, accounting for all lifecycle emissions.
Beyond carbon removal, NuevaChar delivers measurable environmental and social impacts. Annually processing 1,500+ tons of rice husk diverts agricultural waste from open burning. Moreover, the biochar produced enhances soil water retention by up to 30%, critical for climate adaptation in drought-prone regions, while improving nutrient retention reduces chemical fertilizer dependency. The project creates local green jobs in facility operations, feedstock logistics, and agricultural services. Biochar application in poultry operations reduces ammonia emissions and odor while creating nutrient-rich biofertilizer subsequently applied to crop farms, establishing a circular agricultural economy supporting smallholder farmer livelihoods.
ACM's joint venture with Nueva Ecija Provincial Government provides facility access and local stakeholder networks while demonstrating scalable government partnership models. The project has served as a perfect pilot to attract investment from National Development Company (NDC) and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) for ACM's new ElectroChar projects, validating its development impact. Registered under Puro.earth since 2022, NuevaChar represents Southeast Asia's emerging biochar carbon removal sector.