Residual

A new University of Oxford TIDE paper makes one thing obvious: removals is a unique opportunity for the Global South. A few numbers hit me: • 70-75% of global biomass residues are in developing countries. • 65-70% of the world’s CO₂ storage is there too. • By 2050, the Global South could credibly deliver 1.5-5 Gt of removals a year. • That translates into 3-9.5 million jobs and $180-600B in annual value added. Rural economies, in particular, stand to gain. Most of the feedstock, labour, and land is already there. This isn’t theory; Bolivia, Brazil, and Kenya are already showing what early movers can do. My take? removals is a unique opportunity to allocate capital from places like the US, UK and EU to countries like Brazil, Colombia, India and Ghana. In a world of ever decreasing aid budget, this is even more important. #CDR #VCM Sebastian Manhart Raphaël Cario

Biochar producers must ‘pitch like engineers’ and ‘think like bankers.’ is the latest headline from Reuters Biochar is doing more real carbon removal than anything else on the market. But a lot of projects still look too risky, too inconsistent, or too optimistic for anyone writing serious cheques. When your buyer universe is basically Microsoft and a few others, you don’t get funded on vibes. You get funded on: 🔧 Operational detail that proves the project can run at scale 📑 Consistent, audit-ready data that investors don’t have to second-guess 💰 A financial model that actually holds up under diligence, not one that collapses on scrutiny For too long, I have seen projects with the ingredients of a top quality project, but not the recipe to get there. This is exactly the gap we are closing at Residual. #Biochar #CarbonRemoval #ProjectFinance

The interview question that filters out 90% of candidates. I ask every candidate: “Tell me about a time you built something that wasn’t part of your job” Most people freeze or give generic answers. A tiny number smile - because they’ve done this dozens of times. In an early-stage company, roles blur instantly. Everyone is doing something they weren’t “hired” to do by week two. And that’s the point. The people who thrive at Residual aren’t the ones who wait for a neat brief or a perfect plan. They’re the ones who see a gap and build the missing piece before anyone asks. It might be: - rewriting a broken model. - fixing a data room no one owns. - turning a vague idea into a concrete plan that a buyer will actually sign for. These people create momentum out of nothing. They don’t add work - they remove it. That instinct matters more than any credential or keyword on a CV. Because in a startup, your real job is whatever moves the company forward. #hiring #founder #startup

Its not sexy. Your mum doesn't understand it. Everyones trying to get their hands on it. Maybe its biochar credits. On Dec 2 at 11am ET, I’m joining the Wild Assets crew to unpack what’s actually going on behind the “biochar boom”. I’ll be speaking with Sarabeth Brockley, Julien Jacob, and Bill Orr - a buyer, a registry and a builder. If you care about carbon removal markets (or you’re trying to figure out whether biochar credits are worth your time), this one’s for you. 🔗 Sign up: https://lnkd.in/d76GQ_AA

🔥 Think #biochar is just charcoal for your garden? Think again. Join us on December 2, 2025 at 11am ET to discover how this unsung hero of carbon removal is quietly revolutionizing climate action—with 100+ year durability, verified impact, and co-benefits that go way beyond sequestration. Plus, we'll spill the beans on our 2025 Biochar Drop and why now's the time to jump in. 🌱 The lineup is second to none: Sarabeth Brockley, Ted Christie-Miller, Julien Jacob, William Orr (Residual, Puro.earth, Truecoco Ghana Ltd) - and you! 🔗 Hurry to sign up: https://lnkd.in/d76GQ_AA

Brazil’s Biomass Opportunity As the world’s largest producer of biomass, Brazil occupies a unique position in the future of carbon removal. Its agricultural sector is vast, consolidated, and vertically integrated—producing sugarcane, soy, corn, forestry residues, and livestock byproducts at enormous scale. This creates both challenges and opportunities. 💡 Scale of feedstock: Brazil generates more than a billion tons of agricultural and forestry residues annually, representing one of the largest untapped carbon removal resources worldwide. 💡 Industrial integration: Bioenergy, biochar, BECCS, and bio-based materials can plug into existing agri-industrial systems, lowering costs of deployment. 💡 Geopolitical leverage: As host of COP30 in Belém, Brazil can position biomass-based removals as part of both its domestic climate strategy and a global export of negative emissions capacity. 💡 Environmental tension: The Amazon rainforest adds complexity. How can Brazil expand removals without incentivizing deforestation or unsustainable land-use change? If designed with integrity, Brazil could become a global leader in biomass-to-carbon strategies—from BECCS at sugarcane ethanol plants, to large-scale biochar for degraded soils, to biogenic CO₂ for durable products. The question is whether governance, MRV, and sustainability safeguards can keep pace with opportunity. Biomass can be either a cornerstone of a just transition or a source of unintended harm if poorly managed. 👉 How should Brazil leverage its biomass leadership while safeguarding forests, communities, and climate integrity? #CarbonRemoval #Brazil #COP30 #Biochar #BECCS #Biomass #ClimateSolutions

Australia finally has a serious plan for carbon removal CSIRO’s new CDR Roadmap sets out how the country could scale a mix of engineered and nature-based removals over the coming decades. The topline: 1️⃣ ~330 MtCO₂/year of realisable removal potential by 2050 2️⃣ Up to ~900 MtCO₂/year in a high-ambition case 3️⃣ Enough to exceed Australia’s own modeled need if we also stay on track with emission cuts It’s clear: CDR won’t be optional - it’s central to Aus net zero. One area the report digs into is biomass with carbon removal and storage (BiCR+S) - including biochar. Australia could deliver ~88 MtCO₂/year alone, at costs of A$140–260/t, if biomass, storage, and logistics align. The map I’ve shared shows where that capacity sits - including our partner Biomass Projects in WA. My take: Australia has the land, geology, and know-how to lead. Now it needs to focus on getting these projects up and running. #Australia #CDR

Soil performance: CEC, pH, water retention - what’s myth vs measurable? We all make the same claim about biochar: “It improves soil health.” But how much of that is actually measurable, and how much is marketing? Let’s break down what we are actually talking about: 🌍 CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity): Biochar can increase CEC - but not overnight. Fresh chars are often hydrophobic and have limited charge sites. Real gains come after surface oxidation adds carboxyls and phenolics over months or years. It’s about time, not instant magic. 🌍 pH: Biochar isn’t always “alkaline fertilizer.” High-ash chars can raise pH too far, while woody chars may barely move the needle. The effect depends entirely on ash composition and dose. pH change is measurable but context-dependent. 🌍 Water retention: The most overstated claim of all. Biochar doesn’t hold water like a sponge - it changes pore distribution. In sandy soils, it helps; in clays, it can actually reduce available water. Again: measurable, but not universal. Here’s the takeaway: Biochar isn’t a one-size-fits-all soil amendment. Its benefits are real but they depend on feedstock, pyrolysis conditions, soil texture, and time.

3 Things I Learnt While Running Removals at BeZero Carbon 1️⃣ Ratings drive demand. At BeZero I saw the premium on A+ ratings hit 200%. Buyers want confidence, and ratings give it. I’d bet that premium is even higher now. 2️⃣ A project isn’t real until it’s financed. We agreed commercial terms with plenty of projects that never closed. Without funding, even the best ideas stay on paper. 3️⃣ Carbon risk expertise is rare. Developers know forests, char, and satellites, but few understand carbon risk. Concepts like financial additionality, over-crediting, permanence. These are the types of risks that define whether a tonne delivers real impact and holds value. Too many strong projects failed because they couldn’t manage or communicate these. Every day I bring these lessons into what we are building at Residual. Build for low risk from day 1. Keep buyers and investors in mind throughout the development process. Do you use ratings? Would be interested to hear how buyers and developers are engaging with them in the CDR market today. #BeZero #VCM #CDR