At the BioInnovAsia 2026 in Tokyo, IBTC hosted the announced closed-door session: "Industrial Biocarbon Workshop - Aligning Fuel Switching & Supply Chains"
Based on the growing understanding that Japanese utilities and industrial players will require substantial volumes of Biocoal as a replacement for steam coal, and Biocarbon as a fossil carbon substitute in the metallurgical sector in the near future, the workshop focused on the practical question of scale-up. The discussion analysed the individual elements across the full value chain with the objective of identifying where improvements are still needed in order to scale up production from the first industrial facilities already in operation to the massive expansion required to meet demand.
The workshop brought together invited participants representing different parts of the biocoal and biocarbon value chain. Technology providers, project operators, financiers, logistics companies and industrial stakeholders discussed one central question: how can the implementation of large-scale supply chains for Japanese consumers be accelerated?
What made the session particularly valuable was the openness and practical focus of the discussion. Achievements within the sector were clearly acknowledged, but remaining weaknesses and bottlenecks were addressed just as directly. Participants discussed strategies to better control cost factors, reduce project risks and make the overall business case more attractive to the financial sector.
Several conclusions emerged very clearly. Consumers need to become more precise about their product quality requirements. Producers, on the other hand, must ensure that biocarbon can be handled operationally like coal. And ultimately, volumes must increase significantly in order to achieve economies of scale and reduce overall costs across the supply chain. A particularly interesting point throughout the discussion was the connection between scale and financing. As projects mature and larger volumes become available, the current risk premiums demanded by financiers are expected to decrease, making products increasingly competitive and affordable. At the same time, the workshop also confirmed what many in the sector already recognise: regulatory certainty and long-term off-take agreements remain among the most important prerequisites for accelerating investment decisions and enabling industrial-scale deployment.
Beyond the technical discussions, the atmosphere throughout the session was excellent. The exchange was highly constructive, focused and collaborative, with participants openly sharing experiences and perspectives across different parts of the value chain.
IBTC will continue to support the sector by facilitating dialogue between producers and users, contributing to standardisation efforts, and providing platforms for transparent exchange of technical and market experience.
