Carbon registry signs first Chinese removal projects covering DAC and biochar

Isometric has signed its first three project developers in China, extending certification coverage into a market the company identifies as among the highest-potential for carbon dioxide removal globally.

Direct air capture firm DeCarbon Tech was the first to sign, followed by biochar developers Tongao Greenchar and Vastwing Energy. All three will be certified against Isometric’s protocols using Certify, its AI-assisted platform, with the stated aim of opening access to international buyers.

The rationale rests on scale. China has committed to net zero by 2060, which the company notes will require deep emissions reductions alongside an estimated three billion tonnes of removal annually to offset residual emissions. Isometric argues the country is positioned to deliver at that level, citing a rapid renewable power build-out paired with an established manufacturing base that is lowering both capture and deployment costs for direct air capture. On biochar, the company states China has greater removal potential than any other country, with full use of available crop residues capable of removing an estimated 470 million tonnes a year. That figure derives from research ranking China first globally at 128 teragrammes of carbon annually, converted using the carbon dioxide to carbon molecular weight ratio, and represents a technical potential assuming complete residue utilisation rather than a deployment forecast.

DeCarbon Tech captures atmospheric carbon dioxide and stores it permanently through mineralisation, while also supplying captured carbon dioxide for industrial use. Co-founder Leo Liao said the company partnered with Isometric for its science-based approach and recognition among global buyers, adding that DeCarbon Tech is scaling delivery while lowering the cost of removal, building on experience from its demonstration facility.

Tongao Greenchar, established by Tongao Group and Greenchar Climate Solutions, converts agricultural and forestry residues into durable biochar for traceable soil applications and biochar-based fertiliser products, with an approach spanning biomass sourcing through long-term monitoring. Chairman Qian Guoqiang said the collaboration aims to demonstrate that China can deliver durable removal at scale while converting agricultural residues into lasting value for climate, soils, farmers and rural communities.

Vastwing Energy is developing a project in Longnan City, Gansu Province, converting discarded fruit tree branches into biochar through gasification for application to agricultural soils, with potential output of 75,000 tonnes of biochar-based fertiliser annually. General manager Kan Li described the Longnan project as a first step and said two further biochar projects are being prepared for submission later this year.

The signings matter for market structure as much as volume. Chinese removal capacity has largely been absent from the international voluntary market, and access has been constrained by the monitoring, reporting and verification standards international buyers increasingly demand. Certification by a registry already used by Microsoft, JPMorganChase and Boeing provides a route to those buyers. Isometric states it has been contracted for more than 16 million tonnes of removal to date across more than 200 industrial projects, and holds simultaneous accreditation from the ICVCM, CORSIA and ICROA.

The move also positions the registry ahead of domestic competition, with a Shanghai-based organisation reported to be preparing China’s first indigenous carbon removal standard.