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Planet2050 was glad to attend the Talk #1 of the International Biochar Asia Pacific Trade Association (IBAP) in Bangkok.
Jeff Francisco, our Philippines Lead and our CEO Lucas Zaehringer joined and engaged with participants from Siam Cement Group (SCG), the International Rice Research Institute, Whongphai, and local universities.
IBAP is a non-profit platform dedicated to biochar education, research, and practical application. It aims to expand biochar’s role in creating a more sustainable world by convening important biochar discussions in Thailand and South-East Asia overall.
Thailand currently has 40 million tons of leftover biomass waste, a massive untapped resource. In theoretical conversion, this could represent 12 million tons of biochar and 16 million tons of CO2 equivalent in high-integrity carbon removal credits.
Unfortunately, the current practice of burning this biomass exacerbates the regional PM 2.5 air quality crisis.
After crops such as rice, sugarcane, corn are harvested, hundreds of fields are burned, polluting the air with harmful CO2 emissions. Converting this waste into biochar offers a dual solution: a pathway for profit-generating carbon removal and a direct benefit for local air quality.
A highlight of the session was the presentation by Sakprayut Sinthupinyo - Green Circular Technology Director from SCG, one of Thailand's leading cement manufacturers.
With 53,000 employees and $14.5 Billion turnover, SCG is a giant in cement production, chemicals and packaging.
SCG Offices in Bangkok, Thailand. Source: SCG
SCG was the first company in ASEAN to join the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for the cement sector, setting up ambitious Net Zero targets by 2050.
The company has institutionalized this commitment by already applying an Internal Carbon Price (ICP) of 25 USD/ton CO₂ for all new investment decisions. This financial discipline ensures that all new projects are resilient to future carbon pricing and meet their Net Zero 2050 goal.
SCG is undergoing a strategic, high-stakes shift towards high growth green technologies and sustainable building materials.
It has invested in several initiatives in areas of waste management, biomass energy, pellets and biochar.
SCG is now operating the first industrial-scale biochar plant in Thailand. Located in Saraburi, the facility is using rice husks and can produce up to 3,600 tons of biochar per year.
Biochar is used both for soil applications but also as a concrete additive.
Both applications act as permanent carbon sinks under the Puro certification standard and generate high-integrity carbon removal credits for the global CDR market.
Biochar applications by SCG, Thailand (Source: SCG)
SCG has already conducted plenty of biochar-infused concrete applications throughout their product range. A primary example is the SCG "Carbon Sink Road Base" project.
Photo of the Carbon Sink Road Base (Source: SCG)
On the Bamrung Sai Chiang Mai-Lumphun road, 50 tons of biochar used over 1.2 kilometers of road.
In addition to the CO2 removed in biochar production; the project helped reduce the CO2 of the base construction by 11 kg CO2/m2, resulting in a total of 114 tons CO2 reduced for the project.
This saving roughly corresponds to the emissions of about 1,000,000 kilometers driven by car—demonstrating real-world, quantifiable climate impact.
SCG is also developing the use of biochar as lightweight aggregate in precast panels with densities below 1,800 kg/m³. With optimized dosage, biochar can boost early strength by over 10%, enabling faster production or reduced cement use—cutting the carbon footprint by more than 10%.
In this form, the amount of carbon sequestered can exceed the concrete's embodied emissions—achieving lightweight, carbon-neutral concrete panels.
Biochar incorporated in precast concrete panels (Source: SCG)
The future belongs to green innovators who recognize the high cost of inaction and transform what others see as a burden into a strategic, long-term opportunity.
By scaling efforts in the ASEAN region, these leaders are demonstrating that to achieve true net-zero, we need both emission reduction and carbon removal.
At Planet2050, we are committed to work with such partners and provide the right financial resources and carbon market access to help them scale their activities.