Google has agreed to purchase 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide removal credits from Indian startup Varaha, its first such deal with a carbon project in India and the largest involving biomass-produced biochar (also called horticultural charcoal or “black gold” for soils).

Google will buy carbon credits from an Indian initiative that turns large amounts of agricultural waste into biochar - a form of charcoal that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and returns it to the soil,

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – Google announced its first venture into India’s carbon dioxide removal (CDR) sector through a deal with Varaha, an Indian supplier based in Gurugram, to purchase carbon credits. The agreement focuses on producing biochar, a type of charcoal that absorbs carbon dioxide and stores it in the soil.