Secondary biomass: Biomass such as straw, stover and crop residues that are generated as a result of harvesting and processing of primary biomass such as lumber, pulpwood, and grains. It also includes processing residues and byproduct streams from food, feed, fiber and materials production.

Soot: A residue resulting from pyrolysis of biomass.

Sugar platform: breakdown of cellulosic biomass into component sugars by chemical and/or biological processes

Syngas: Synthetic gas that is obtained by gasifying biomass to simple chemical building blocks which can be transformed to fuels, products and power and hydrogen.

Tar: A residue resulting from pyrolysis or gasification of biomass.

Tertiary biomass: Post consumer residue streams from urban activities such as fats, greases, oils, construction and demolition debris/wood, as well as animal manure and other byproducts from concentrated animal feed operations

Thermochemical or Syngas Platform: Production of synthetic gas (syngas) by gasification of biomass feedstocks and by-products from conversion processes.

Transesterification: It is a chemical reaction of exchanging the alkoxy group of an ester by another alcohol. The products of a transesterification reaction are a new ester and a new alcohol. A catalyst is typically required for transesterification.

Ultimate analysis: Quantification of levels of constituent organic as well as inorganic (ash) elements in a biomass.

Volatiles: Organic vapors and gases released from biomass during low temperature heating. Also, that portion of biofuels that is converted to vapors and gases during pyrolysis (all components other than residual char).