Partnership · Climate, Energy & Sustainability
Varaha partners with Microsoft on biochar projects
By Startup Enthusiast ·
- Date
- Company
- Varaha
- What it does
- Biochar carbon removal for farmers
- Kind
- Partnership
- Founded
- 2022
What they do
Varaha removes carbon dioxide by turning cotton stalks into biochar
What happened
Microsoft funds up to 18 reactors across India's cotton belt
Why it matters
The deal targets 2 million tonnes of CO₂ removal over time
The details
- Varaha has entered a partnership with Microsoft for carbon removal.
- The collaboration focuses on biochar production in India.
- Microsoft will fund the installation of up to 18 industrial gasification reactors.
- These reactors will be located across India's cotton belt.
- The project aims to remove more than 2 million tonnes of CO₂.
- This volume is projected over the entire lifetime of the projects.
- The initiative signals growing recognition of regional carbon removal potential.
- Biochar offers permanent storage on geological timescales.
The bigger picture
- The partnership broadens Microsoft's carbon removal portfolio diversity.
- It highlights the scalability of durable biochar designs.
- High-integrity removal drives co-benefits for local communities and ecosystems.
About the business
- Varaha focuses on carbon dioxide removal projects globally.
- It works primarily with smallholder farmers across Asia.
- The company uses biomass gasification to convert waste into biochar.
- Cotton stalks serve as the primary feedstock for this process.
- These stalks are sourced from farms in Maharashtra, India.
- Otherwise, such biomass is often burned in open fields.
- The first reactor sits alongside Varaha's 52-acre research farm.
- They test sustainable practices like soil biochar application there.
What happens next
- Varaha plans to deploy reactors across the cotton belt.
The deal
- Type
- partnership
Founders
- Madhur Jain, CEO
- Ankita Garg, Founder
- Vishal Kuchanur, Founder
About Varaha
- Product
- Carbon dioxide removal projects using biochar, afforestation, regenerative agriculture, and enhanced rock weathering.
- Customers
- Corporates seeking carbon offsets and carbon removal credits.
- How it makes money
- Sells carbon removal credits generated from its projects to businesses.
- What sets it apart
- Focus on high-integrity carbon removal with community co-benefits in the Global South.
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