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Biomass & Recycled Carbons

The circular side of the carbon economy. These materials recover carbon from renewable feedstocks and end-of-life products, cutting the footprint of a supply chain still dominated by fossil sources.

Circular
Supply model
Recovered and renewable carbon
Lower
Footprint
Versus virgin fossil carbon
rCB
Recovered carbon black
From end-of-life tyres
rCF
Reclaimed carbon fibre
From manufacturing scrap

What is biomass & recycled carbons

Biomass and recycled carbons are carbon materials drawn from renewable biomass feedstocks or recovered from end-of-life products, with the goal of a lower-footprint, more circular carbon supply. The category spans recovered carbon black from scrap tyres, reclaimed carbon fibre from manufacturing waste and end-of-life parts, bio-based activated carbon, and sustainable feedstocks that can substitute for fossil-derived cokes and carbon blacks. The common thread is displacing virgin, fossil-based carbon with recovered or renewable equivalents without giving up the performance industry depends on.

Material properties

What makes biomass & recycled carbons exceptional

Renewable sourcingMade from biomass or recovered carbon
RecyclabilityKeeps carbon in circulation
Adsorption capacityBio-based activated carbon captures contaminants
ReinforcementReclaimed fibre strengthens compounds
Conductive fillerRecovered carbon black for rubber and plastics
Resource circularityDisplaces virgin fossil carbon
Drop-in compatibilitySubstitutes into existing processes
Improving consistencyQuality rising as processes mature

Market outlook

A market scaling fast

The recycled carbon fibre market is estimated in the low hundreds of millions of dollars, commonly cited around $170 to $250 million in 2024, growing at low double digit rates as automotive and aerospace adopt reclaimed fibre. Recovered carbon black, recovered from end of life tyres by pyrolysis, is a larger and faster scaling stream, with estimates ranging from a few hundred million to over $2 billion depending on scope, also growing at double digit rates.

$170 to 250M
Recycled carbon fibre, 2024
$2B+
Recovered carbon black
7
Application sectors tracked

Where biomass & recycled carbons appears in our coverage

Application sectors

How biomass & recycled carbons fits the carbon ecosystem

Ecosystem map

3Raw sources
2Processing routes
1Advanced materials
7End applications
RAW SOURCESINTERMEDIATEPROCESSINGADVANCED MATERIALSEND APPLICATIONSPetroleumMineralBiomassCarbon Bearing …Synthetic Graph…Petroleum Produ…PlasticsCoalLigninBiomaterialsCaptured CO₂PitchPyrolysisFlash Joule Hea…Biomass & Recyc…ConcreteAsphaltCarbon CaptureCoatingsConstructionPlastics (Appli…Rubber & Synthe…
Raw Sources
Intermediate
Processing
Advanced Materials
End Applications

The above is for illustration purposes only and does not represent every possible data point.

View full diagram ↗

Standards and certification

Key Biomass & Recycled Carbons standards

Recent coverage

What we’re reporting

All biomass & recycled carbons articles

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Used in these applications

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At a glance

SourcesBiomass, recovered carbon
ExamplesrCB, rCF, bio-AC
DriverCircularity
Key routeTyre pyrolysis
ChallengeQuality consistency