Biocarbon rising: from concept to commercialization in British Columbia 

In 2025, NorthX, in collaboration with ESMIA, released a strategic investment assessment of British Columbia’s emerging biocarbon ecosystem. The report examines how the province could leverage its forest resources and industrial base to develop a scalable biocarbon industry that supports economic growth while contributing to Canada’s net-zero emissions objectives. The analysis covers feedstock availability, conversion technologies, commercial applications, and policy drivers shaping the sector’s development. 

Biocarbon products—including biochar, bio-oil, and syngas—can be produced from biomass through processes such as pyrolysis and gasification. The study evaluates British Columbia’s resource base, including forest harvest residues, wood-processing by-products, landfill-diverted wood waste, and agricultural residues, and explores their potential use across sectors such as construction materials, renewable fuels, and industrial heat. 

To assess system-wide feasibility, the North American TIMES Energy Model (NATEM) was used to analyse deployment under a Reference scenario and a Net-Zero by 2050 pathway. The modelling indicates that biocarbon production in British Columbia could grow more than threefold by 2035 and by approximately 8.5 times by 2050 in a net-zero scenario. The analysis highlights the role of biocarbon in hard-to-abate sectors—including steel, cement, and aviation—and identifies key enabling conditions for scaling the industry, including secure feedstock supply, supportive carbon pricing signals, and alignment with provincial and federal climate policies.