Premium asphalt carbon credits: Turning roads into climate assets

When we think about climate solutions, roads are not the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, they cover our landscapes for millions of kilometers and hold untapped potential for permanent carbon storage. At Novocarbo, we are turning that potential into measurable climate impact through asphalt carbon credits – a new class of carbon removal that integrates biochar directly into road infrastructure.

Building climate value into asphalt

Biochar is known for its ability to store carbon for centuries. Traditionally used in soils, it is now finding a powerful new purpose in asphalt production. When mixed into road surfaces, biochar not only improves the material’s mechanical properties, such as stiffness and thermal resistance, but also locks away atmospheric CO₂ in a mineral matrix that remains stable for decades.

Each ton of asphalt containing 3 % of Novocarbo’s biochar stores around 75 kilograms of CO₂-equivalent. In our recent pilot project, 17.5 tons of CO₂ were permanently sequestered within a single road section. That’s not an abstract number – it is physically embedded carbon that can be verified, tracked, and credited.

Why asphalt offers long-term carbon storage

When biochar is integrated into asphalt, it becomes part of a durable, engineered structure. Asphalt in Europe is recycled and reused at rates above 95 %, supported by strict circular economy laws such as Germany’s “Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz” (Circular Economy Act). During reuse, asphalt is heated only to around 140–170 °C, well below biochar’s degradation threshold of 270–430 °C, keeping the carbon stable.

Even if asphalt is later milled or reused as aggregate, the biochar’s structure remains intact due to its inert nature. This means the carbon stays locked in the material, protected by both its physical embedding and robust EU recycling standards – ensuring long-term, verifiable permanence.

Transparent, traceable, and MRV-ready credits

Every Novocarbo asphalt credit can be GPS-linked to specific road segments and supported by visual and satellite-based verification. The credits are reliably traceable by an MRV-partner and status-updated periodically, which adds in transparency for due diligence and audit processes.

Each credit is issued under verified methodologies such as the ones of European Biochar Certificate (EBC) and Puro.earth, ensuring full compliance with international standards for permanence, additionality, and monitoring.

Driving the transition of a hard-to-abate sector

The construction industry is one of the most cost-sensitive and slow-to-adapt sectors. Without economic incentives, sustainable innovations often struggle to scale. Carbon credits close that gap: they enable biochar to enter asphalt production at scale by rewarding the climate value embedded in every ton of material.

At current market levels, a € 300+ credit can finance the integration of biochar into asphalt production, allowing municipalities and contractors to decarbonize roads without increasing construction budgets. It’s a simple equation: higher credit prices = faster adoption = faster climate impact.

A scalable path to net-zero infrastructure

Roads connect economies, communities, and now climate goals. As governments and companies seek verifiable negative emissions, infrastructure-based solutions like asphalt carbon credits bridge the gap between industrial defossilization and permanent carbon removal.

By turning existing construction processes into carbon storage opportunities, Novocarbo demonstrates how hard-to-abate industries can become part of the solution.