Supercritical and Ground Up sign exclusive deal to scale biochar carbon removal across India

LONDON, Sept 3, 2026—Supercritical and Ground Up have signed an exclusive partnership to scale Ground Up's biochar carbon removal operations across India. Ground Up's pilot, Project Nandani, in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, has already issued its first Isometric-validated credits and is expected to deliver 2,500 tonnes this year. The partnership will expand operations to a multi-site network for a minimum of 50,000 tonnes of verified carbon removal by 2028.

Ground Up is the first project identified through Supercritical's Supply Development Program, which launched earlier this year after Liferaft's 10-year, one-million-tonne offtake agreement. The program partners with promising early-stage carbon removal projects to develop the climate science, engineering plans, and commercial structures needed to scale.

In Kolhapur District, farmers generate roughly two million tonnes of sugarcane leaf and top residue every year. About 85% of it is burned in open fields, driving regional air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Ground Up, working with a local aggregator, collects this biomass and converts it into biochar at its operational pyrolysis facility. Farmers apply the biochar to their fields, where it locks carbon in the soil for over 200 years. Ground Up's field trials have shown up to 38% yield increases for sugarcane and 59% for wheat.

The next phase will add production sites co-located with India's largest sugar mills across the region, with networks exceeding 550,000+ farmers. The first scale-up site is funded and targeting production next year.

"Ground Up has already built a pilot, secured feedstock, and issued credits. Their model works. Replicating it across India's sugarcane belt and getting their credits to market is the next challenge. When we visited Kolhapur, the facility was running, and the farmer network was already in place. That convinced us they're the team to do it."

"As the first company selected for Supercritical's Supply Development Program, we are proving that the Indian CDR market is ready for international quality benchmarks and global demand. Backed by capital and significant volume, this early market signal gives us the boost to move from pilot to platform."

About Supercritical

Supercritical is the leading carbon removal marketplace. It builds the commercial architecture that turns carbon removal promises into delivered tonnes, sourcing, creating, and guaranteeing supply for 200+ corporate buyers through exclusive partnerships, three-layer delivery protection, and a science team that advises SBTi on CDR standards. Nearly 2M tonnes facilitated. 600+ suppliers tracked across 80% of the global durable carbon removal market. gosupercritical.com

About Ground Up

Ground Up is a carbon removal company pioneering industrial-scale biochar production across India in partnership with the country's largest agricultural enterprises. It is creating a nationwide shift in soil health and climate resilience by providing biomass collection hubs where residues were previously burnt. Registered with Isometric and having issued verified carbon removal credits, Ground Up is building the foundation for India's CDR market. ground-up.in

Contact

Pat Adams, pat@gosupercritical.com
Shivank Taksali, shivank@ground-up.in