INVESTORS • FINANCIERS
Know what you're backing before the capital moves
Independent technical due diligence for carbon funds, private equity and project lenders evaluating pyrolysis, gasification and anaerobic digestion assets, no vendor commissions, no conflicts of interest.
Service Tiers at a Glance
Tier 1
Red-Flag Desk Review
Best Suited for: Early stage investors screening deals before term sheets or major expenditure.
Key Focus: Rapid desktop evaluation of process design, equipment choices, and carbon credit risks.
Primary Deliverable: 10–15 Page Red Flag Assessment & Risk Matrix
Fixed Price: $3500 USD
Tier 2
Bankable Technical Due Diligence
Best Suited for: Investment Committees, equity partners, and debt providers preparing for FID
Key Focus: Independent mass/energy auditing, financial model stress testing, and team interviews.
Primary Deliverable: Detailed Technical Due Diligence Report & Audit
Price: Dependent on project size and scope
Tier 3
Lender’s Engineer & Monitoring
Best Suited for: Debt funders and asset owners requiring full deal lifecycle monitoring
Key Focus: Construction monitoring, FAT/SAT witnessing, performance guarantee validation, and COD sign-off.
Primary Deliverable: Monthly Progress Reports & Drawdown Certifications
Price: Dependent on project size and scope
A design flaw caught on paper costs thousands.
A design flaw caught in the field costs millions.
Service Tiers
Tier 1 – Red-Flag Desk Review
Rapid, cost effective screening to catch high impact risks early.
Ideal For: Private equity, venture capital, and impact investors evaluating early-stage pitch decks and process designs.
Scope of Work:
- Desktop review of Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs), Mass & Energy Balances (M&EBs), vendor claims, and equipment specifications.
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Evaluation of revenue driver risks, including preliminary H/Corg stability ratios, carbon registry (e.g., Puro.earth, Verra) alignment, and off gas monetisation.
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Screening of reactor technology track record, vendor reference plants, and EPC delivery models.
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Identification of process omissions, such as missing particulate capture, unmitigated air ingress, or omitted parasitic electrical loads.
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Initial safety and regulatory review covering dust explosion risks, hot biochar handling, syngas management, and stack emissions.
Key Deliverable: A structured Tier 1 Red Flag Risk Assessment mapping key project areas to explicit risk ratings (Low, Medium, High, or Not Rated) with actionable recommendations.
Fixed Price: $3500 USD
Tier 2 – Technical & Commercial Due Diligence
Deep dive engineering verification and financial model stress testing prior to capital commitment.
Ideal For: Lead investors, project developers, and infrastructure funds moving toward Final Investment Decision (FID) or financial close.
Scope of Work:
Independent Mass & Energy Balance Audit: Line by line verification or re-modeling of process simulations, auditing thermal oxidizer duties, system heat losses, and auxiliary power demands.
Feedstock & Biochar Verification: In-depth evaluation of proximate/ultimate feedstock assays (ash, silica, moisture swings) and slagging risk, paired with product quality protocol audits.
Carbon Registry & Revenue Audit: Detailed review of H/Corg test protocols, heavy metal/PAH/PFAS testing regimes, and registry compliance pathways.
Financial Model Cross Verification: Validating operational model inputs against physical engineering reality, including plant availability, wear part replacement cycles, and OpEx assumptions.
Stakeholder & OEM Interviews: Technical interviews with vendor engineering teams, EPC contractors, and reference plant operators.
HAZOP & Safety Assessment: Detailed review of safety systems, including Burner Management Systems (BMS), pressure relief sizing, and auto-ignition mitigations during biochar cooling.
Key Deliverables: Comprehensive Technical Due Diligence Report, independent mass/energy audit summary, updated risk matrix, and formal Investment Committee recommendation.
Price: Dependent on project size and scope
Tier 3 – Lender’s Engineer
End to end technical oversight and construction monitoring from FID through commercial operations
Ideal For: Project lenders, debt syndicates, or asset owners needing independent technical oversight throughout project execution.
Scope of Work:
Pre-Construction & Contracting: Detailed review of EPC terms, performance guarantees, Liquidated Damages (LDs), boundary conditions, and Factory/Site Acceptance Test protocols.
Execution & Construction Monitoring: Ongoing audit of CapEx drawdowns, detailed engineering design package review (P&IDs, civil, electrical), site inspections, and schedule monitoring.
Commissioning & Acceptance Testing: On-site witnessing of Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT), validating performance guarantee runs (throughput, parasitic load, yield, and emissions compliance).
Commercial Operation Verification: Final sign-off for financial completion, operational handover, and commercial operation date (COD) achievement.
Key Deliverables: Monthly Construction & Drawdown Certification Reports, FAT/SAT Witness Reports, and Final COD Verification Certificate.
Price: Dependent on project size and scope
Featured Projects
Silo Location Options Analysis
Australia
A cost and risk weighted location study that used a decision tree to pick where to site new char storage silos.
View Case Study →
Multi-Stage Bio-Refinery: Concept Design & Technical Due Diligence
Malaysia, Australia
PFD development, and front-end technical due diligence for an international bio-refinery asset.
View Case Study →
Development of IBI’s Biochar Operator Course
Worldwide
7 module training program standardising workforce safety, pyrolysis plant operations, and biochar quality.
View Case Study →
Relevant Resources
Activated Carbon Market Analysis
Biochar producers are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the Activated Carbon Market. Could this be a potential new revenue source?
View Resource →
Pyrolysis Reactor Buyer’s Guide
Most pyrolysis units that “don’t work” were never set up to succeed during procurement — a pattern worth checking for in any deal’s technical assumptions.
View Resource →
Not sure which path fits?
Start with a 20-minute call.