Biogenic Carbon Content calculator.

The Biogenic Carbon Content (BCC) quantifies what fraction of the carbon in a chemical process — in its feedstocks, products, or both — originated from biological (renewable) sources rather than fossil (non-renewable) sources. Biogenic carbon is derived from recently living biomass: plant-based feedstocks, agricultural residues, fermentation substrates, algae, or wood-derived chemicals. Fossil carbon comes from petroleum, natural gas, or coal.

The formulas

The carbon mass for each material is calculated as: $m_{\text{C}} = m_{\text{material}} \times \frac{w_{\text{C}}}{100}$, where $w_{\text{C}}$ is the carbon content in % w/w. The biogenic fraction of that carbon is then: $m_{\text{C,bio}} = m_{\text{C}} \times \frac{f_{\text{bio}}}{100}$, where $f_{\text{bio}}$ is the percentage of carbon atoms in the material that derive from a biological source (0–100%).

Two perspectives: feedstock BCC vs product BCC

This calculator reports both perspectives. If you only enter inputs, you get feedstock BCC. If you only enter products, you get product BCC. Entering both gives a complete picture.

How to determine % biogenic carbon

• Pure bio-based material (e.g. glucose from corn starch, bio-ethanol, lactic acid from fermentation): 100% biogenic carbon.
• Pure fossil-based material (e.g. petroleum-derived ethylene, toluene from refinery, acetone from propylene): 0% biogenic carbon.
• Mixed or uncertain: Use the supplier's bio-based content certificate (ASTM D6866 radiocarbon test) or a mass-balance allocation. Enter the certified value directly.
• Inorganic materials with no carbon (e.g. water, NaCl, metal catalysts): Enter 0% carbon content — they contribute nothing to BCC.

Strengths and limitations

BCC in context: complementary green metrics

References are sorted alphabetically by first author.

1. P. T. Anastas and J. C. Warner, Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0-19-850698-0. — Original statement of the 12 Principles; Principle 7 addresses use of renewable feedstocks.
2. ASTM International. Standard Test Methods for Determining the Biobased Content of Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using Radiocarbon Analysis. ASTM D6866. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International. astm.org. — The primary radiocarbon method for certifying biogenic carbon content in materials and products.
3. European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). Bio-based products — Determination of the bio-based carbon content. EN 16640:2017. — European standard for measuring bio-based carbon; commonly cited in bio-based product certification.
4. J. H. Clark and F. E. I. Deswarte (eds.), Introduction to Chemicals from Biomass, 2nd edn, Wiley, 2015. ISBN 978-1-118-71448-5. — Comprehensive introduction to bio-based chemistry and platform chemicals.
5. J. E. Holladay et al., Top Value-Added Chemicals from Biomass, Vol. II — Results of Screening for Potential Candidates from Biorefinery Lignin, PNNL-16983, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 2007. — Identifies key bio-based platform chemicals and their fossil-carbon baselines.
6. ISO. Plastics — Bio-based content. ISO 16620 series (Parts 1–5). Geneva: International Organization for Standardization. — International standard series for measuring and expressing bio-based content in plastics.
7. J. Moncada et al., ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., 2021, 9, 10591–10603. DOI. — Systematic framework for bio-based carbon accounting in biorefineries.
8. R. A. Sheldon, ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., 2018, 6, 32–48. DOI. — Metrics for the greenness of chemicals from biomass and renewable feedstocks.

If you use this tool in teaching or published work, please cite the DodecaGreen portal as the source.