On this page, you can find the Standard Protocol for measuring carbon stability in hydrochar under dry storage conditions.

As part of the activities of the Research & Development Working Group, we have developed a standardized experimental protocol to assess carbon stability in hydrochar. This protocol is intended to be applied in an interlaboratory ring test involving different laboratories.

The document was developed during the two workshops held in Potsdam and online, in July 2025 and March 2026, respectively.

Check the report of the 2nd workshop:

Final Report_C Stability Workshop_v2 Download

You may download the draft protocol here:

Hydrochar_Abiotic_Stability_Protocol_draft_Final Download

Infographic illustrating a standardized protocol for assessing carbon stability in hydrochar under abiotic storage. The diagram shows sealed dry reactors, hydrochar and biochar controls, sample preparation steps (oven drying, sieving, desiccator storage), experimental incubation at different temperatures (20–70°C) over time, and a dual monitoring strategy with sacrificial and closed bottles for gas and material analyses (GC, elemental analysis, FTIR, microscopy, pH/EC). Expected outcomes include carbon stability assessment, standardized reporting, and cross-laboratory comparability.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the draft protocol, please contact us.

Next steps

Interested in contributing to the finalization of the experimental protocol or participating in the ring test (Interlaboratory Experiment)?

Please contact the Research & Development Working Group.

Project timeline infographic showing six milestones from April 2025 to September 2026: identification of gaps and methodologies (April 2025), 1st workshop (July 2025), draft protocol (January 2026), 2nd workshop (March 2026), final protocol (May 2026), and ring test (September 2026). An arrow highlights the current stage at the 2nd workshop.

Standard Protocol to Measure Carbon Stability

Next steps