How CitizenClimate dMRV Supports Puro.earth Methodologies
Carbon Removal Needs More Than a Scale and a Spreadsheet
CitizenClimate connects the industrial precision of Puro Standard verification with the field-level data that carbon removal projects actually need — integrating directly with pyrolysis plant systems, weighbridges, and operational monitoring infrastructure via API, while extending data collection into the landscapes where biomass is sourced.
Puro.earth is genuinely different from every other carbon standard we work with. Where Verra, Gold Standard, and Plan Vivo focus primarily on nature-based emissions reductions and sequestration, Puro.earth is the world's leading standard for engineered and hybrid carbon dioxide removal — the kind that can be measured, batched, and traced with industrial-grade precision.
In 2019, Puro.earth brought the first carbon removal crediting methodology for biochar to the market, issuing CO₂ Removal Certificates (CORCs) through the Puro Registry. Since then, it has expanded its methodology suite to cover a growing portfolio of removal pathways — from pyrolysis-based biochar and terrestrial biomass burial to enhanced rock weathering, marine storage, and geological CO₂ injection.
The monitoring requirements that come with these methodologies are fundamentally different from those in traditional carbon markets. Puro Standard suppliers aren't documenting forest cover change from satellite imagery or surveying household cookstove usage — they're tracking feedstock inputs, production parameters, batch weights, application destinations, and chain-of-custody records for physical products moving through industrial and agricultural supply chains.
CitizenClimate's role in Puro Standard projects sits at the intersection of two things: industrial data integration through our open API, and field-level data collection in the landscapes where biomass is sourced and carbon removal products are applied. Together, they close the monitoring gap between the factory gate and the field.
THE API INTEGRATION ANGLE — WHY THIS MATTERS FOR PURO SUPPLIERS
Puro.earth's 2025 Biochar Methodology explicitly requires suppliers to "have in place, maintain, and utilise an information system to keep records of all monitoring activities associated with the carbon removal activity," including records on parameters monitored and measurements performed that are time-stamped and quantitative, accessible to the auditing body and kept for at least two years post-crediting period.
That's not a request for better spreadsheets. It's a requirement for structured, auditable, integrated data systems.
CitizenClimate is built to be that system — or to plug into the systems you already have.
What our API integration supports:
Pyrolysis plant monitoring systems Modern pyrolysis facilities generate continuous operational data — reactor temperatures, retention times, feedstock throughput, energy outputs, and biochar yield by batch. CitizenClimate's open API connects directly to plant monitoring systems (SCADA, PLC outputs, sensor networks) to pull this data into a unified monitoring record that links production parameters to CORC-relevant quantification inputs. No manual transcription. No data gaps between shifts. A clean, timestamped audit trail from feedstock in to biochar out.
Weighbridges and mass balance tracking Every tonne of biochar that leaves a production facility needs to be weighed, batch-coded, and tracked to its end-use destination. CitizenClimate integrates with weighbridge systems via API to automatically log batch weights, vehicle movements, and delivery destinations — creating the mass balance records that Puro Standard auditors require to verify that CORC-claimed volumes match documented production and delivery records.
Biomass sourcing and feedstock intake Feedstock eligibility is one of the most scrutinised aspects of Puro Standard biochar verification. Biomass must be traceable to its origin, documented as eligible under the Puro Biomass Sourcing Criteria, and not sourced in ways that damage natural ecosystems or compete with long-lived wood products. CitizenClimate's supplier intake survey tools can be configured to capture feedstock source, species, certification status, and volume at intake — creating a digital chain-of-custody record from forest or farm to production facility.
Biochar application tracking Knowing that biochar left the facility is not enough — Puro Standard requires evidence of eligible end-use application. CitizenClimate's field survey tools document biochar delivery and application by GPS-tagged field surveys, covering application site, method, volume applied, and land use type. For distributed agricultural applications, this is the only practical way to collect application records at scale.
Laboratory data integration Biochar characterisation results — H:Corg ratios, volatile matter content, pH, heavy metal concentrations — typically sit in laboratory information management systems (LIMS) or PDF reports. CitizenClimate can ingest these results via API or structured upload, linking them directly to the production batch records they relate to and presenting them in a format that Validation and Verification Bodies (VVBs) can interrogate during audits.
PURO.EARTH'S ACTIVE METHODOLOGIES — AND WHERE CITIZENCLIMATE FITS
Puro.earth currently operates five active methodologies under the Puro Standard, each covering a distinct carbon removal pathway. All five require rigorous MRV — though the data types, monitoring locations, and verification challenges differ significantly between them.
BIOCHAR — Methodology Edition 2025 (CORC200+)
Biochar has rapidly established itself as a leading durable carbon dioxide removal technology, outpacing other solutions in both market acceptance and operational scale. Pyrolysis converts biomass waste — wood chips, agricultural residues, straw, biosolids — into a highly stable form of carbon that, when applied to soil or incorporated into construction materials, keeps that carbon locked away for centuries.
The 2025 Edition marked a transition to CORC200+, guaranteeing biochar carbon removal durability for several centuries, in full compliance with the latest Puro General Rules and ICVCM CCP standards, with improved guidance on responsible biomass sourcing, robust biochar production practices, and verified end-use applications.
Where CitizenClimate adds direct value:
The Biochar methodology requires monitoring across three interconnected data domains — all of which CitizenClimate supports:
Production facility monitoring — reactor parameters, feedstock throughput, biochar yield, energy consumption. Integrated via API from plant control systems.
Biomass sourcing — feedstock origin, species, certification, volume. Documented through supplier intake surveys and connected to feedstock management databases.
End-use application — delivery destination, application site, method, land use type. Documented through GPS-tagged field surveys across distributed agricultural and industrial application sites.
The 2025 methodology also introduced enhanced requirements for biomass sustainability monitoring and batch-level traceability — both areas where CitizenClimate's integrated data approach is directly applicable.
TERRESTRIAL STORAGE OF BIOMASS (Wood Burial) — Puro Standard
Terrestrial storage of biomass — sometimes called wood burial — involves depositing sustainably sourced, lignin-rich woody biomass in burial pits or vaults engineered to minimise decomposition, keeping carbon locked away for 100 years or more. It's one of the most cost-accessible CDR pathways and has particular relevance for regions with abundant forestry residue.
The MRV challenge for wood burial is fundamentally one of mass balance and burial site integrity. How much biomass went in? Has the burial site remained stable? Is there evidence of decomposition or disturbance?
CitizenClimate supports wood burial monitoring through:
Feedstock weighing and documentation — integrated weighbridge records at intake, linked to species identification and origin documentation via field surveys. Where forestry residues are sourced from smallholder or community forestry operations, CitizenClimate's community survey tools can document the sourcing area, harvesting practices, and community land rights as part of the biomass sustainability record.
Burial site monitoring — periodic GPS-tagged field surveys documenting burial site condition, surface stability, and any signs of disturbance. Photo documentation provides visual evidence that supports VVB audit requirements.
Chain-of-custody records — linking feedstock source to burial site via integrated weighbridge and transport records, with API connections to logistics management systems where applicable.
ENHANCED ROCK WEATHERING (ERW) — Methodology Edition 2025
Enhanced rock weathering accelerates the natural process by which silicate rocks absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere — typically by grinding basalt or other silicate rock to dust and spreading it on agricultural land. The rock reacts with water and CO₂, forming bicarbonates that are carried into soils and ultimately into waterways, with carbon durability measured in geological timescales.
The 2025 ERW methodology update introduced detailed sampling requirements ensuring scientifically sound and statistically representative measurement of CDR through careful characterisation of soil chemistry, an emphasis on measurement precision and accuracy, and the rigorous use of control plots for carbon accounting.
ERW is perhaps the Puro Standard methodology where CitizenClimate's field monitoring capabilities are most directly valuable — because the carbon quantification happens in the soil, across distributed agricultural plots, and requires systematic field sampling coordinated with laboratory analysis.
Where CitizenClimate adds direct value:
Rock dust application tracking — GPS-tagged field surveys documenting application site, volume applied per hectare, rock type, and application method. For large-scale agricultural ERW programmes with many participating farms, CitizenClimate is the most practical way to collect this data at scale.
Soil sampling coordination — CitizenClimate surveys can schedule, document, and track soil sampling activities across control and treatment plots, linking sampling location to GPS coordinates and timestamped photos.
Farmer engagement monitoring — many ERW programmes involve participating farmers who receive rock dust in exchange for hosting application trials. CitizenClimate surveys document farmer participation, application compliance, and crop observations — providing the stakeholder engagement evidence that supports co-benefit claims and community acceptance requirements.
Agricultural yield and co-benefit data — ERW often improves soil pH and increases crop yields. CitizenClimate's weighted survey framework can document these agricultural co-benefits systematically across participating farms, supporting the SDG co-benefit reporting that responsible CDR buyers increasingly want alongside carbon removal claims.
API integration with spreading equipment — where ERW application uses GPS-tracked spreading machinery, CitizenClimate can ingest application records directly from equipment telemetry systems, cross-checking machine-recorded application volumes against field-observed conditions.
MARINE ANOXIC CARBON STORAGE (MACS) — Puro Standard v1.0
The MACS methodology includes a comprehensive monitoring, reporting, and verification framework — combining lab experiments, modelling, and field sampling. MACS involves depositing sustainably sourced, lignin-rich terrestrial biomass into deep, oxygen-depleted marine basins where microbial decomposition is severely limited, locking carbon away for 200+ years.
This is a frontier methodology — MACS is one of the newest approved approaches in the Puro Standard, and the monitoring framework is still evolving as field experience accumulates.
Where CitizenClimate adds value:
Biomass sourcing documentation — MACS requires strict eligibility criteria for terrestrial biomass inputs. CitizenClimate supplier intake surveys document feedstock origin, species, and certification status, with API integration to weigh and batch records at loading facilities.
Community and environmental monitoring — MACS operations in coastal areas involve engagement with local fishing communities and marine resource users. CitizenClimate community surveys can document stakeholder consultation, consent processes, and community observations of marine conditions in deployment areas.
Logistics and transport tracking — biomass transport from sourcing area to coastal loading points can be tracked via integrated logistics records, with CitizenClimate survey tools capturing loading, transport, and offloading documentation.
GEOLOGICALLY STORED CARBON (GSC) — Methodology Edition 2024
Geologically Stored Carbon covers bio-CCS and DAC+Storage projects that capture CO₂ — from bioenergy facilities or directly from the air — and inject it into deep geological formations for permanent storage. The 2024 edition extended the crediting period to 15 years and introduced major changes in project eligibility and storage reservoir requirements.
GSC is primarily an industrial-scale methodology with complex facility-level monitoring requirements. CitizenClimate's most direct contribution is at the biomass sourcing end of BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) projects — documenting the sustainability and origin of biomass feedstocks — and in community engagement monitoring around facility sites where social licence and stakeholder consultation documentation is required.
API integration with facility monitoring systems (capture rates, injection volumes, reservoir pressure monitoring) is also applicable where projects use SCADA or other structured data systems.
MICROALGAE CARBON FIXATION AND SINKING (MCFS) — Puro Standard (Approved October 2025)
MCFS is now the third marine carbon dioxide removal methodology approved under the Puro Standard, following MACS and DACOS earlier in 2025. The methodology enhances the growth of local phytoplankton populations using engineered substrates in High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) ocean regions, with carbon exported to deep ocean sediment via controlled sinking.
MCFS is still in early commercial development. CitizenClimate's contribution at this stage is primarily in:
Environmental baseline documentation — structured field surveys and community observations in coastal areas near deployment sites, supporting the pre-deployment environmental impact assessments the methodology requires.
Stakeholder engagement records — documenting consultation with coastal communities, fishing industry representatives, and other marine resource users, in compliance with the social safeguarding requirements built into the methodology.
BIOMASS SOURCING — THE FIELD DATA CHALLENGE EVERY PURO SUPPLIER FACES
There's a monitoring problem that sits upstream of every Puro Standard methodology that uses biomass — and it doesn't get talked about enough.
Whether it's forestry residues going into a pyrolysis reactor, woody material being buried in terrestrial storage vaults, or lignin-rich biomass being shipped to marine basins, the carbon accounting integrity of the entire project depends on being able to demonstrate that the feedstock was:
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Eligible under the Puro Biomass Sourcing Criteria
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Not sourced from natural ecosystems in ways that cause damage
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Not competitive with long-lived wood product uses
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Traceable from origin to facility
For large-scale industrial suppliers buying feedstock from wood processors or agricultural operations, this traceability can often be handled through procurement contracts and certification documents. But for projects sourcing from smallholder farmers, community forestry groups, or dispersed agricultural residue collectors — which is precisely where the most interesting and scalable feedstock streams exist — you need field-level documentation at the source.
CitizenClimate's supplier intake surveys capture this. GPS-tagged feedstock intake records, linked to supplier origin data collected in the field, create the chain-of-custody documentation that VVBs need to confirm biomass eligibility without having to take the supplier's word for it.
THE COMMUNITY CO-BENEFIT OPPORTUNITY FOR PURO SUPPLIERS
Puro Standard projects are primarily engineered CDR operations — but many of them interact with rural communities in ways that create genuine social co-benefits that responsible buyers increasingly want to see documented.
Biochar applied to smallholder farms improves soil fertility and crop yields. ERW spreading programmes increase soil pH and agricultural productivity on participating farms. Biomass sourcing from community forestry operations provides income for rural households. These are real impacts — and they're currently largely undocumented in any structured way.
CitizenClimate's weighted SDG survey framework can document these co-benefits systematically, giving Puro Standard suppliers a credible, verifiable story to tell alongside their carbon removal claims. As the high-integrity CDR market matures, buyers are beginning to differentiate on this basis — and suppliers who can demonstrate genuine community and agricultural co-benefits will have a market advantage.
WHAT INTEGRATION LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE
Setting up CitizenClimate for a Puro Standard biochar project typically involves three layers:
Layer 1 — Plant integration (API) CitizenClimate connects to your pyrolysis plant monitoring system, weighbridge, and LIMS to pull production data, batch records, and quality analysis results into a unified monitoring database. This is handled via our REST API, with standard connectors for common industrial data formats and custom integration support for bespoke plant control systems.
Layer 2 — Field surveys (mobile app) CitizenClimate's mobile survey app is deployed to field teams and, where appropriate, to community monitors in biomass sourcing areas and biochar application sites. Surveys are configured to capture the specific monitoring parameters your methodology requires — feedstock intake, application location, site condition, community observations. All data is GPS-tagged and timestamped, and works fully offline.
Layer 3 — Dashboard and reporting (web platform) All data — plant-generated and field-collected — flows into CitizenClimate's real-time dashboard, where it can be interrogated by project teams and accessed by VVBs during audits. Export tools produce structured reports in formats aligned with Puro Standard reporting requirements.
This integrated architecture means a single platform covers your entire MRV workflow — from reactor to field, from intake to application.
Building a Puro Standard Project? Let's Connect Your Data.
Whether you're a biochar producer looking to streamline CORC verification, an ERW company scaling up agricultural applications, or a developer exploring biomass sourcing monitoring for a new CDR pathway, CitizenClimate can integrate with your existing systems and fill the field data gaps your VVB will look for.
Get Started:
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Get the app – Available on iOS, Android, and Web. Works offline wherever you are.
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Access the dashboards – Drop us a line for API keys and dashboard access for your project.
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Join the community – Connect with citizen scientists around the world to share what you've learned and make a bigger impact together.