TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Components: The burner assembly including a dryer burner operably coupled with the dryer, and a reactor burner operably coupled with the torrefaction and carbonization reactors, comprises using at least a portion of the first burnable gaseous output stream as at least a part of the fuel to operate the dryer burner, and using at least a portion of the second burnable gaseous output stream as at least a part of the fuel to operate the reactor burner. The torrefaction reactor is operable to indirectly torrefy the dried biomass, and the carbonization reactor is operable to indirectly carbonize the hot torrefied biomass from the torrefaction reactor. The torrefaction and carbonization reactors each comprises an elongated, axially rotatable shell having an input and an output, a housing in surrounding relationship to the shell and defining with the shell an indirect heating zone, the housing including an input for the gaseous output of the burner assembly, and an output for the first and second residual gas streams, respectively. The burner assembly includes a reactor burner operably coupled with the dryer and a reactor burner operably coupled with the torrefaction and carbonization reactors, respectively. The system includes: apparatus for conveying at least a part of the first and second burnable gaseous output streams to the burner assembly to serve as fuel for the burner assembly; apparatus for conveying at least a part of the first and second residual gas streams to the dryer as a source of heat for the dryer; and a first recovery assembly for recovering torrefied biomass from the torrefaction reactor, and a second recovery assembly for recovering carbonized biomass from the carbonization reactor. The torrefaction and carbonization reactors each comprises an elongated, axially rotatable shell having an input and an output, a housing in surrounding relationship to the shell and defining with the shell an indirect heating zone, where the housing includes an input for the gaseous output of the burner assembly, and an output for the first and second residual gas streams, respectively.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The process comprises: using at least a part of the first and second burnable gaseous output streams as at least a part of the fuel to operate the burner assembly; using the at least a part of the first and second residual gas streams as a source of heat for the dryer; recovering torrefied biomass from the torrefaction reactor, and recovering carbonized biomass from the carbonization reactor; carbonizing substantially all of the hot torrefied biomass of the first output stream; using portions of the dried biomass as fuel for the burner assembly; operating the burner assembly to create a hot gas output having a temperature of 4000-1000 degrees F; and torrefying the dried biomass in the torrefaction reactor for a period of 5-25 minutes, and carbonizing the hot torrefied biomass in the carbonization reactor for a period of 5-30 minutes. The first and second burnable gaseous output streams provide the entire fuel requirements needed to operate the burner assembly.