# Biomass feedstock

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="267"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Module name</strong></td><td>Biomass feedstock</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Module category</strong></td><td>Carbon capture</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Methodology name</strong></td><td>Biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Version</strong></td><td>1.1</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Methodology ID</strong></td><td>RBW-BICRS-CC-BMF-V1.1</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Release date</strong></td><td>January 21st, 2026</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Status</strong></td><td>In use</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% content-ref url="/pages/D1bECpowUAiJorSGzbQY" %}
[Glossary](/glossary.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

This is a **Carbon Capture Module** and covers the sourcing of biomass feedstock for carbon storage projects. This module is part of the Rainbow BiCRS methodology, which allows Project Developers to choose the relevant modules for their project, and shall be used with the necessary accompanying modules.

## Eligibility and scope

### Eligible technologies <a href="#uikucys7r1rk" id="uikucys7r1rk"></a>

This module covers use of biomass feedstock for permanent carbon removal and storage.

<table><thead><tr><th width="202">Biomass type</th><th width="315">Description</th><th>Source</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Forest waste from secondary forest</td><td>Natural but not primary old-growth forest, may still be managed for timber</td><td>Default if no other forest type can be proven</td></tr><tr><td>Forest waste from managed forest</td><td>Managed mixed-use forests that may include agroforestry, plantations or rotational logging</td><td>Must provide proof</td></tr><tr><td>Necessary tree removal from any forest</td><td>Damaged trees, or trees removed for planned forest management such as preventing disease spread or fires</td><td>Must provide proof</td></tr><tr><td>Agricultural residues with value</td><td>Residues left on soil or reapplied to soils for nutrient recycling (e.g. mulching, composting, spreading fast-decaying cellulose-based residues with decay within 5 years)</td><td>Default if prior use could not be determined</td></tr><tr><td>Agricultural residues with no value</td><td>Plowed into soil, burnt in the field, no substantial return of nutrients to soil</td><td>Must provide proof</td></tr><tr><td>Other waste or residue</td><td>To be evaluated on a case by case basis according to criteria outlined in the present document</td><td>Must provide proof</td></tr></tbody></table>

Eligible biomasses are those that:

* could not have been used valuable products (e.g. low quality wood),
* were not grown for the purpose of CDR[^1] or bioenergy production.

For simplification, all feedstocks that meet the above requirements will be referred to hereafter as waste. Biomass feedstocks are categorized accordingly:

<table><thead><tr><th width="202">Biomass type</th><th width="315">Description</th><th>Source</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Forest waste from secondary forest</td><td>Natural but not primary old-growth forest, may still be managed for timber</td><td>Default if no other forest type can be proven</td></tr><tr><td>Forest waste from managed forest</td><td>Managed mixed-use forests that may include agroforestry, plantations or rotational logging</td><td>Must provide proof</td></tr><tr><td>Necessary tree removal from any forest</td><td>Damaged trees, or trees removed for planned forest management such as preventing disease spread or fires</td><td>Must provide proof</td></tr><tr><td>Agricultural residues with value</td><td>Residues left on soil or reapplied to soils for nutrient recycling (e.g. mulching, composting, spreading fast-decaying cellulose-based residues with decay within 5 years)</td><td>Default if prior use could not be determined</td></tr><tr><td>Agricultural residues with no value</td><td>Plowed into soil, burnt in the field, no substantial return of nutrients to soil</td><td>Must provide proof</td></tr><tr><td>Other waste or residue</td><td>To be evaluated on a case by case basis according to criteria outlined in the present document</td><td>Must provide proof</td></tr><tr><td>Invasive species</td><td>Plants that are not native to the local area and are disruptive or harmful to ecosystems</td><td>Must provide proof</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Certification requirements <a href="#certification-requirements" id="certification-requirements"></a>

The default project scope shall be defined in the [Carbon storage](/methodologies/biomass-carbon-removal-and-storage-bicrs/carbon-storage.md) module.

### Project scope <a href="#project-scope" id="project-scope"></a>

The default project scope shall be defined in the [Carbon storage](/methodologies/biomass-carbon-removal-and-storage-bicrs/carbon-storage.md) module.

### Baseline scope <a href="#project-scope" id="project-scope"></a>

The baseline shall include **any permanent carbon removal that would have occurred in the absence of the project**. For biomass use, this includes permanent carbon storage from the alternate fate of the biomass feedstock used for pyrolysis.

Project Developers shall justify the alternate fate of business-as-usual biomass feedstock use.

* If biomass would have been left on agricultural fields, or otherwise applied to soil to decompose, a default **0.5% of the carbon in the biomass feedstock** is assumed to be permanently stored.
* For any other alternate fate of biomass, it is assumed that no carbon is permanently stored, and no baseline is considered for this module.

It shall be assumed by default that no biomass feedstock would have been used for dedicated carbon removal projects in the absence of the project (i.e. there is no share of the project activity in the baseline scenario).

More conservative baseline scenarios may be applied on a case-by-base basis. They must be representative and transparently justified.

See the [GHG quantification ](#id-4l7lx2ihb6hj-2)section for more details on how baseline removals are calculated.

## Principles & requirements

The principles and requirements specific to this module are detailed in the sections below.

### Environmental and social safeguards <a href="#id-82n4j72vjt9v" id="id-82n4j72vjt9v"></a>

Project Developers shall prove that the **project does not contribute to substantial environmental and social harms.**

Projects must follow all national, local and European (if located in Europe) environmental regulations, including but not limited to those related to biomass harvesting and forest management.

In addition to completing the [Biomass feedstock risk assessment](#esdnh-risk-assessment) described below, Project Developers must prove the following elements.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Waste status" %}
Project Developers shall provide proof that the **biomass feedstock is classified as waste**. This can be done via any one of the following three methods:

* **Price**: if Project Developers did not pay for the biomass, or if they were paid to handle it, the biomass can be considered waste. Acceptable proof includes invoices, receipts, or contracts.
* **Contextual analysis**: Project Developers may submit an analysis supported by reputable sources that the biomass 1) could not be used as main material products, and 2) was not grown for the purpose of CDR[^1].
* **Positive list of wastes**: if the biomass is included in the following list, it can be considered waste. Acceptable proof includes invoices, receipts, contracts, or photographic evidence and is required for validation:
  * sawmill residues
  * sawdust
  * shavings
  * bark
  * forestry tops and branches
  * wildfire management residues
  * straw
  * husks
  * corn cobs
  * wood from horticulture (trimmings or whole plants)
  * nut shells
  * bagasse
  * sugar beet pulp
    {% endtab %}

{% tab title="Alternative use" %}
Project Developers shall evaluate the most likely alternative use/s of the biomass in order to assess environmental risks, leakage risks, and to calculate replacement emissions (if applicable). The evaluation shall be transparent and conservative.

The alternative use shall address questions such as:

* was the biomass used for a product or service, that now needs to be replaced?
* was the biomass going to store carbon anyway (in the biomass itself and/or in the soil)?

Proof shall be provided and may include signed statements from the biomass provider, historical records from the biomass provider, regional statistics or reputable reporting.

A short list of likely alternative uses may be provided for descriptive purposes, but for the purpose of further analysis, one single alternative use shall be proposed.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Forestry certification" %}
Biomass feedstock originating from forests shall provide at least one of the following forestry sustainability certificates (or similar, with a sufficient justification):

* FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)⁠
* PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification)⁠
* RSB (Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials)⁠
* SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative)⁠
* SBP (Sustainable Biomass Program)⁠

These certifications are used to prove:

* Legal and transparent chain of custody
* Proper forest regeneration
* Safeguarding biodiversity and soil health
* Historically stable or increasing forest carbon stocks
* Sound socio-environmental practices in forestry operations⁠
  {% endtab %}
  {% endtabs %}

#### Environmental and social risk assessment <a href="#esdnh-risk-assessment" id="esdnh-risk-assessment"></a>

The identified environmental and social risks of this biomass feedstock module are **included in the risk assessment template of the carbon storage module** of the BiCRS methodology and shall be evaluated there. The identified risks include:

* Disruption of soil health when collecting and exporting organic matter
* Presence of heavy metals, toxins or other chemical pollutants in the biomass⁠
* Spread of diseases or invasive species
* Cultivation of feedstock
* Deforestation from use of forestry products as feedstock
* Distant transport of feedstock inputs (>100 km)

{% hint style="info" %}
All risk assessments must also address the [Minimum environmental and social risks ](/rainbow-standard-documents/rainbow-standard-rules/principles-and-requirements.md#environmental-and-social-risk-assessment)defined in the Rainbow Standard Rules.
{% endhint %}

Project Developers shall assign a likelihood and severity score of each risk, and provide an explanation of their choices. The VVB and Rainbow’s Certification team shall evaluate the assessment and may recommend changes to the assigned scores.

Any identified material risk (defined as issues with a risk score of moderate or higher) shall be subject to a [Risk Mitigation Plan](/rainbow-standard-documents/rainbow-standard-rules/principles-and-requirements.md#environmental-and-social-risk-assessment), which outlines how Project Developers will mitigate, monitor, report, and if necessary, compensate for any environmental and/or social harms.

Additional proof may be required for certain high risk environmental and social problems.

The Project Developer, the Rainbow Certification Team, or the VVB may suggest additional risks to be considered for a specific project.

{% hint style="info" %}
Note that the **life-cycle GHG reduction calculations account for the climate change impacts of most environmental risks**. Nonetheless, Project Developers shall transparently describe any substantial and sensitive GHG emission risks in the risk evaluation template.
{% endhint %}

### Leakage <a href="#lc9eewbyvlyk" id="lc9eewbyvlyk"></a>

Biomass feedstock sourcing must not contribute to activity shifting leakage.

The requirement that biomass feedstock must be classified as waste prevents activity shifting leakage. Consequently, the evidence provided in the "Environmental and Social Do No Harm" section shall also be applied here to verify that the feedstock is waste.

Several other types of leakage risks are already covered by other components of this module:

* Displacement of soil carbon storage: a small amount of soil carbon storage is assumed and modeled in the Baseline Scenario where relevant, effectively deducted from the project's carbon storage.
* Upstream and downstream emissions: considered in the life-cycle based GHG quantifications in companion modules.

### Monitoring <a href="#snhouoxhyrzi" id="snhouoxhyrzi"></a>

Monitoring Plans for this module shall include, but are not limited to, tracking of the following information **for each monitoring period**:

* Mass, type and source of all biomass feedstocks collected by the project.
* Sustainable forestry certification (if applicable)

Monitoring Plans shall include the following information for each monitored parameter:

* monitoring frequency
* emission sources and sinks
* data source
* measurement methods/procedures, and their accuracy and calibration
* quality assessment or quality control procedures
* responsible party for collecting and archiving data

## GHG quantification

The GHG quantification instructions from all other modules used by the project must be used in conjunction with the present module in order to obtain full life-cycle GHG reduction quantifications.

### Data sources <a href="#kpxsamb8logm" id="kpxsamb8logm"></a>

The **required data from all projects using biomass feedstocks** are presented in Table 2.

*Table 2 Summary of primary data needed from projects and their source for initial project certification and validation. Asterisks (\*) indicate which data are required to be updated annually during verification (see Monitoring Plan section).*

<table><thead><tr><th width="237">Parameter</th><th width="174">Unit</th><th>Source</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Amount of biomass used*</td><td>Tonnes of fresh matter</td><td>Primary: Internal tracking documents, invoices, contracts</td></tr><tr><td>Carbon content of biomass</td><td>% w/w, fraction, kg/tonne</td><td>Primary or secondary: Laboratory chemical analyses, <a data-footnote-ref href="#user-content-fn-2">scientific publications</a> or local/national agriculture government agencies</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Assumptions <a href="#id-4l7lx2ihb6hj" id="id-4l7lx2ihb6hj"></a>

Major assumptions in this module include:

* The permanent carbon sequestration rate in the [baseline scenario](#id-4l7lx2ihb6hj-2) is 0.5%.

### Project Scenario <a href="#id-4l7lx2ihb6hj" id="id-4l7lx2ihb6hj"></a>

Because the only biomass types allowed are waste, they are assigned no environmental impacts from their production/cultivation stage. Impacts from following stages, such as harvest, transport, and processing, shall be accounted for in the [Processing and energy use](/modules/processing-and-energy-use.md) module.

### Baseline Scenario <a href="#id-4l7lx2ihb6hj" id="id-4l7lx2ihb6hj"></a>

{% hint style="warning" %}
This section is only required if the feedstock's alternative use was to be **left on the soil or reapplied to soils for nutrient recycling**. Specifically this includes but is not limited to:

* mulching
* composting
* spreading fast-decaying cellulose-based residues (e.g. decay within 5 years)
  {% endhint %}

The Baseline Scenario shall include permanent carbon storage that would have occurred anyway in the absence of the project.

Although most biomass carbon would be released before the CDR project's permanence horizon, a small fraction is stabilized permanently as soil carbon. This portion is accounted for in the Baseline Scenario and deducted from the project's carbon removal capacity.

The uncertainty around biomass carbon being 1) naturally incorporated into the soil and 2) converted to a stable carbon form is high, influenced by factors such as climate, soil type, soil health, and land use, making it hard to estimate for individual projects. Thus, it is assumed that **0.5% of the carbon in the biomass feedstock** left on the soil, or reapplied to soil, will be permanently stored in soils.

<details>

<summary>Calculations- Baseline scenario</summary>

$$\textbf{(Eq.1)}\ {R}*{baseline}= A*{feedstock}\* C \* S\*-1$$

Where,

* $${R}\_{baseline}$$ represents the permanent carbon removal in the baseline scenario in the monitoring period, in t CO$$\_2$$eq. This value shall be applied to Equation 1 from the general [BiCRS methodology](/methodologies/biomass-carbon-removal-and-storage-bicrs.md#calculations-removals) to calculate total project removals.
* $$A\_{feedstock}$$ represents the amount of biomass feedstock used in the monitoring period, in tonnes of dry matter.
* $$C$$ represents the concentration of carbon in the biomass feedstock, in tonnes of carbon per tonne of dry matter.
* $$S$$ represents the permanent sequestration rate of carbon applied to soils, which is 0.5%, as described in the [Assumptions ](#id-4l7lx2ihb6hj)section.
* It is multiplied by -1 to obtain a negative sign. Removals are reported as a negative value in the [BiCRS methodology](/methodologies/biomass-carbon-removal-and-storage-bicrs.md#calculations-removals).

</details>

### Uncertainty assessment

See general instructions for uncertainty assessment in the [Rainbow Standard Rules.](/rainbow-standard-documents/rainbow-standard-rules/ghg-quantification.md#uncertainty-assessment) The outcome of the assessment shall be used to determine the percent of RCCs to eliminate with the [**discount factor**](#user-content-fn-3)[^3].

For projects that include baseline permanent carbon storage, the assumption that 0.5% of carbon is permanently sequestered is has high uncertainty, but the total net project removals is not sensitive to this assumption. Therefore, this translates to an **expected discount factor of at least 3%** for projects that include baseline permanent carbon storage.

## Chemical analyses of feedstock <a href="#ph39su917ek2" id="ph39su917ek2"></a>

Depending on the project type, chemical analyses may be performed on the **biomass feedstock** or the **final carbon storage solution** (e.g. biochar). The accompanying carbon storage module shall specify at which stage chemical analyses should be performed. In all cases, carbon content of biomass feedstock must be provided, although secondary sources may be acceptable (see [Data sources](#kpxsamb8logm)).

If chemical analyses of feedstock are required, Project Developers shall follow the instructions in the [Sampling Requirements](/methodologies/biomass-carbon-removal-and-storage-bicrs/carbon-storage/biochar-application-to-soils.md#sampling-and-measurements) page to ensure a random and representative sampling procedure.

Chemical analyses shall be defined by the carbon storage module and may include but are not limited to:

| Indicator              | Purpose                                                            |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Organic carbon content | Determining amount of carbon removed and carbon removal efficiency |
| Total carbon content   | Determining amount of carbon removed and carbon removal efficiency |
| C:N ratio              | Stability of biomass                                               |
| Moisture content       | Mass conversions                                                   |

## Risk assessment template

:point\_right: Download the template [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J2JSxmTxVtfbaNKXyJkwU19DT7Cyvnyf9Q_K5QNmLjU/edit?gid=1281724905#gid=1281724905)

{% embed url="<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J2JSxmTxVtfbaNKXyJkwU19DT7Cyvnyf9Q_K5QNmLjU/edit?gid=1281724905#gid=1281724905>" %}

## Version history

<table><thead><tr><th width="325.33331298828125">Change</th><th>Justification</th><th width="305.3333740234375">Date</th><th>Version changed</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Restructure sections: added Baseline Scope, renamed Eligible technologies to Eligibility and scope, renamed Eligibility criteria to Principles &#x26; requirements, moved Monitoring Plan to Principles &#x26; requirements</td><td>Align with Standard Rules V7 structure</td><td>January 21st, 2026</td><td>V1.0 to V1.1</td></tr><tr><td>New Certification Scope section with requirements for crediting and monitoring period, project updates with methodology revisions, and site audits.</td><td>Align with Standard Rules V7 structure</td><td>January 21st, 2026</td><td>V1.0 to V1.1</td></tr><tr><td>Environmental and social risk mitigation plan required for moderate or higher risks, instead of high risk</td><td>Align with Standard Rules V7 structure</td><td>January 21st, 2026</td><td>V1.0 to V1.1</td></tr><tr><td>Module first created</td><td>-</td><td>December 4th, 2024</td><td>V1.0</td></tr></tbody></table>

[^1]: Carbon dioxide removal

[^2]: * Fu, B., Chen, L., Huang, H., Qu, P., Wei, Z., 2021. Impacts of crop residues on soil health: a review. Environmental Pollutants and Bioavailability 33, 164–173. [URL](https://doi.org/10.1080/26395940.2021.1948354)
    * Torma, S., Vilček, J., Lošák, T., Kužel, S., Martensson, A., 2018. Residual plant nutrients in crop residues – an important resource. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science 68, 358–366. [URL](https://doi.org/10.1080/09064710.2017.1406134)
    * Wang, X., Yang, Z., Liu, X., Huang, G., Xiao, W., Han, L., 2020. The composition characteristics of different crop straw types and their multivariate analysis and comparison. Waste Management 110, 87–97. [URL](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.05.018)

[^3]: A percentage of verified Rainbow Carbon Credits eliminated from each project and never issued. This acts as a safeguard against uncertainty in GHG reduction quantifications and overestimated carbon removal/avoidance.


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