Monitoring and sampling

Monitoring Plan

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

Eligibility criteria compliance:

• Proof of regulatory additionality, that CO₂ didn't have to be captured, wasn't covered by ETS (or mention no change)

• Proof of permanence/low reversal risk, end use of product (or mention no change)

• Proof of no double counting: EPDs, ETS (or mention no change)

• If biomass feedstock, proof of adherence to ESDNH requirement (or mention no change)

GHG quantification:

• Amount CO₂ leakage during transport

• Repartition of CO₂ types purchased, entering carbonation facility

• Carbon storage measurements, either:

  • Solid phase:

    • CO₂ measured in solid samples of carbonated material via TGA or TCA

  • Gas inflow-outflow:

    • Volumetric flow and concentration of CO₂ inflow and outflow

    • Gas void fraction of alkaline feedstock (if carbonating solid materials)

    • Bulk density of the alkaline feedstock (if carbonating solid materials)

• Transport distance or amount of fuel, and transport mode, for CO₂ delivery, alkaline feedstock delivery, and final product delivery (if >50 km)

• Amount and type of alkaline feedstock used

• Baseline removal calculations from alkaline feedstock carbonation

• Baseline and project removal calculations from concrete use phase carbonation

• Amount cement needed in baseline and project scenario**

• Energy and/or material use from CO₂ capture, CO₂ purification, alkaline feedstock processing, and carbonation process

• Total amount of carbonated material produced per year, in tonnes of material

The Project Developer is the party responsible for adhering to the Monitoring Plan.

Sampling and measurements

The following sampling and measurement requirements only apply to projects measuring carbon storage using solid-sample analysis methods (e.g. TGA, TCA). Projects using gaseous inflow-outflow measurements are exempt from these sampling protocols, as their measurement approach relies on automated sensor systems that directly track CO₂ flux in real time.

Sampling process and measurement frequency

At the start of verification, for the first carbonation batch, measurements shall be taken at high frequency until the project demonstrates stable operating conditions and establishes operational stability and consistent results.

• It is recommended to conduct 10 separate measurements, each on a composite sample from 3 sub-samples each, at the beginning of the crediting period. The variability of these measurements should not exceed 10% of the mean or ±1 standard deviation. The average value may be used for credit issuance once measurement consistency is established.

• This frequency may be adjusted based on the project’s technological maturity, existing data, and expected variability.

For ongoing verification, measurements shall be repeated:

• For each carbonation batch (with batch validity limited to 1 year), or

• At least once per quarter, or

• Every 500 tonnes CO₂ removed, whichever comes first.

Each ongoing verification measurement shall:

• Be based on a . Best practice is to create this sample as a composite of at least 3 sub-samples taken from different points in the batch.

• Be analyzed in triplicate.

• Achieve an RSD ≤ 10% between the triplicate measurements; otherwise, measurements must be repeated.

Ex-ante sampling plans

Project Developers shall submit a Sampling Plan, upon validation, that details:

• the proposed frequency and number of measurements performed in the first reporting period, to establish a robust dataset (mean and distribution),

• representative sampling approach to be used during long-term monitoring (i.e. how to obtain a representative sample for each carbonation batch, each quarter...),

• approach to ensure control, uncarbonated samples are representative of project samples, and exposed to the same conditions,

• the post-carbonation timing of sample collection (e.g. 24 hours, 1 week), justified in terms of the carbonation kinetics of the specific technology.

Ex-post sampling records

For each Reporting Period, Project Developers shall submit a Sampling Record documenting all sampling activities. This record must include, for both project (carbonated) and control (uncarbonated) materials:

• Date of production

• Amount of material sampled

• Processing or preparation steps before analysis

• Description of representative sampling method

• Sample ID for traceability

• Notes on anomalies, if any