Methodology · 02
Monitoring, Reporting, Verification. The thing that turns a pile of biochar into a registered credit. CSI's Artisan standard is digital-first, a smartphone app captures everything from feedstock moisture to soil GPS, but the discipline matters more than the tool.
From producer registration through annual verification, every field below is something a verifier will check. Any digital MRV app that captures the required fields and connects to the Global C-Sink Registry can be endorsed.
Stage 01
Each Artisan Biochar Producer registers via the Manager: name, address, phone, training certificate, and proof of passing the biochar producer exam. For C-Sink Farmers this also includes a GPS vector file (KML) of every cultivated field over 1 ha (single GPS point for smaller fields). Each field gets a unique ID.
Captures: Producer ID · Field IDs · Training cert
Stage 02
Photo of the device. The relevant dimensions for an earthen kiln, the model number for an endorsed cooking stove, or the pre-registered serial for a mid-size mobile reactor. Plus a calibrated volume tool, often a labeled bucket or barrel used to measure each batch.
Captures: Device type · Volume tool ID
Stage 03
Moisture per load (kept below the standard’s threshold using a handheld meter), the feedstock blend (for example, a mix of pruning and husk), and a photo of the pile with a ruler for scale. A new feedstock blend triggers a fresh lab test.
Captures: Feedstock type · Moisture % · Photos
Stage 04
A load is one batch run. Two georeferenced photos minimum, one mid-run, one at quench. The biochar volume is measured immediately, using the registered tool, before the char goes anywhere. Carbon for the C-Sink Unit is computed from volume, bulk density, and lab-confirmed carbon content.
Captures: Date · GPS · Volume · 2 photos
Stage 05
Biochar must be mixed into a C-Sink Matrix (compost, manure, fertilizer, feed, etc.) below 50% by volume, proof: a written recipe, batch IDs, photos during mixing, delivery records. Application requires the matrix code (e.g. B-01 Compost), application date, and field GPS for any unit > 1 t CO₂e.
Captures: Matrix code · Recipe · Field GPS
Stage 06
The certifier visits the C-Sink Manager and at least one Artisan Pro production site each year. Sample bulk-density measurements re-run, retention sample inspected, supply chain spot-checked, dMRV records reconciled. Verified data becomes registry-issued credits, not before.
Captures: Annual onsite visit · Lab + retention samples
What the Manager is required to push to the Global C-Sink Registry for every unit issued. These are the same nine fields in the public CSI monitoring report template.
Feedstock
What was pyrolyzed (for example, a coffee pruning and husk blend)
Production technology
The category of equipment and the registered unit ID
Production date or period
Single date or range for a batch
Carbon content and stability ratio
From an endorsed lab analysis
C-Sink Matrix
What the biochar is mixed into (compost, manure, biochar-based fertilizer)
Sink location
Field GPS, captured at registration. Aggregated Networks and Villages submit a polygon for the area.
Biochar mass applied
Derived from measured volume and bulk density
Application date
When the biochar entered the matrix or soil
Sink owner
Producer or aggregated network identity
How tons-of-biochar become tons-of-credit, with the conservatism baked in.
20 kg CO₂e per ton of biochar (~0.7% of carbon) is automatically deducted to cover unaccounted transport, milling, and handling emissions. If transport from production site to field exceeds 100 km, additional fuel emissions must be calculated and offset on top.
1 t CO₂e is the minimum C-Sink Unit. Smaller production volumes are aggregated within a Network or Village monthly until they cross 1 t.
Of every certified biochar, 75% is registered as Persistent Aromatic Carbon (PAC, > 1,000 yr) and 25% as Semi-Persistent Carbon (SPC, ~50 yr half-life). Only the PAC fraction is sellable as durable CO₂ removal. The SPC fraction is reserved for methane offsetting (see persistence page).
The full non-aggregated dataset must be retained for 10 years minimum, even after credits are sold or retired. Audits can come back at any time during that window.
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