Premium Graded Biochar

How it is made

Premium Graded Biochar starts as Prosopis Juliflora, the invasive thorn tree known in Tamil Nadu as seemai karuvelam, supplemented with agricultural residue and wood waste. The biomass is dried and fed through a continuous rotating-drum reactor at 350–550°C with no oxygen, so it chars instead of burning. The gases released along the way are recovered and burned to heat the dryer and reactor, which keeps fuel use down.

Once cooled, the char is screened into consistent particle grades. Screening is what makes biochar predictable in use: a fine grade spreads evenly through compost or potting media, a coarser grade holds its structure in filters, beds and field soils. Every batch is tested for fixed carbon, ash, moisture and bulk density before it ships, and a certificate of analysis travels with each dispatch.

Choosing a grade

0–2 mm is the grade most buyers use for compost co-blending, potting mixes, seed-starting media and fertilizer granulation, because it mixes evenly and has the most exposed surface. 2–8 mm suits field application where you want the char to keep an open structure, raised beds, turf and landscaping, and filtration or odour beds where water and air have to pass through. Custom screening is available for larger orders, including dust-reduced cuts for bagging lines.

Charge it before it goes into soil

Fresh biochar is clean carbon with an enormous internal surface. Put straight into soil, it can hold on to some nitrogen and water for the first weeks before it gives anything back. The fix is to charge it first: mix it into compost while the heap is active, soak it in diluted manure slurry, jeevamrut or liquid fertilizer for one to two weeks, or blend it with vermicompost. Research on co-composted biochar shows that the organic coating it picks up during composting is a large part of why it holds and releases nutrients so well.

If you do not want to charge biochar yourself, our Biochar-Enriched Compost (BEC) is pre-charged and ready to apply.

How much to use

Field trials around the world have used a wide range of rates, from under one ton to more than ten tons per hectare. For charged biochar on Indian farms, a common starting point is 0.5–2 tons per acre, worked into the top 10–15 cm of soil before sowing. Because biochar persists for centuries, the effect builds: many growers apply a moderate rate over two or three seasons rather than one heavy dose. In potting media, 5–20% biochar by volume is a typical range. Our team can suggest a rate for your crop, soil and budget; share a soil test if you have one.

Handling and storage

Biochar is light and dusty when dry. Moisten it slightly before tipping or spreading, work with the wind behind you, and wear a dust mask for large volumes. Store bags dry, off the floor and away from open flames. Kept dry, biochar does not degrade: it can be stored indefinitely.

Packaging and supply

Small packs of 1, 2, 5 and 10 kg are sold under our BhuPrana brand for retail and trials. Bulk orders ship in 25 kg and 50 kg bags, with private-label packaging available. Bulk orders start from 5 tons, with dispatch across India; for export, we supply coconut shell biochar in containers to Oman and Sri Lanka.

Sources and further reading

Lehmann, J. & Joseph, S. (eds.) (2015). Biochar for Environmental Management: Science, Technology and Implementation, 2nd edition. Routledge.

Hagemann, N., Joseph, S., Schmidt, H.-P. et al. (2017). Organic coating on biochar explains its nutrient retention and stimulation of soil fertility. Nature Communications 8, 1089.

Kammann, C. I., Schmidt, H.-P., Messerschmidt, N. et al. (2015). Plant growth improvement mediated by nitrate capture in co-composted biochar. Scientific Reports 5, 11080.

Jeffery, S., Abalos, D., Prodana, M. et al. (2017). Biochar boosts tropical but not temperate crop yields. Environmental Research Letters 12, 053001.

European Biochar Certificate (EBC): Guidelines for a sustainable production of biochar. Carbon Standards International.

International Biochar Initiative: Standardized Product Definition and Product Testing Guidelines for Biochar That Is Used in Soil (IBI Biochar Standards).

Frequently asked questions