By bno - Mumbai bureau Google has agreed to purchase carbon credits from an Indian start-up that transforms agricultural waste into biochar, a charcoal-like material that captures CO2 and enriches soil,

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.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google will buy carbon-removal credits based on projects using biochar that’s made by heating organic waste, one of the biggest such deals to date.

Google's partnership with Varaha to purchase carbon credits marks a major step in its commitment to achieving a more sustainable future

The magnitude of these Google purchases speak to the importance of biochar as a carbon removal tool,” according to the CEO of Varaha, one of the companies involved.

Biochar, a soil amendment created through pyrolysis, helps store carbon in soil for hundreds of years, reducing carbon leakage. Google's commitment to carbon removal projects is a morally righteous move,

Google has entered into a groundbreaking agreement with Indian startup Varaha to purchase 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide removal credits. This partnership marks Google’s first carbon project deal in India and represents the largest transaction involving biomass-produced biochar to date.