As biocarbon moves from niche applications to large-scale industrial use, policy frameworks, investment decisions, and procurement strategies increasingly depends on clear and reliable terminology described in the International Biomass Torrefaction and Carbonisation Council (IBTC) Biocarbon Terminology, Version 3.
Over recent years, the International Biomass Torrefaction and Carbonisation Council (IBTC) has observed persistent uncertainty across regulatory, financial, and industrial contexts regarding the classification of thermally upgraded biomass products.
Terms such as biochar, biocarbon, and biocoal are frequently used interchangeably, despite their differing properties, applications, and regulatory implications.
This lack of clarity, IBTC says, “creates unnecessary friction” in permitting processes, investment assessments, contract structures, and sustainability evaluations.
To address this challenge, IBTC developed the Biocarbon Terminology publication as a practical reference that reflects current market understanding and technical reality across the value chain.
Updated version 3
The newly released Biocarbon Terminology Version 3 is the most comprehensive and up-to-date edition to date, significantly expanding the range of defined terms related to torrefaction, carbonisation, pyrolysis, and other thermal upgrading pathways for biomass.
It provides clearer differentiation between materials used for energy generation, industrial processing, and carbon sequestration and supports alignment with emerging regulatory frameworks and standardization efforts.
A new chapter dedicated to commonly used abbreviations further assists readers in navigating technical documentation, policy texts, and market analyses.
For regulators, the glossary offers a structured basis for policy design, classification, and compliance.
For investors, it supports risk assessment, comparability, and due diligence across projects and technologies. For industrial users, it provides clarity for procurement, specification, and operational integration of Biocarbon products.
The glossary is designed as a living document. It is reviewed and updated regularly, in line with market developments, regulatory progress, and ongoing international standardization work, including activities within the International Standards Organization (ISO).
