Biochar at Sea: Safety, Regulations and the Future of Global Biocarbon Trade
Guest Article by Philipp D. Hauser, Head of the CCycle Initiative
Biochar at Sea: Safety, Regulations and the Future of Global Biocarbon Trade
One of the most strategically important discussions at this year's European Biochar Summit focused on the implications of recent maritime safety regulations for the rapidly emerging biocarbon industry. The session, "Biochar at Sea: Safety, Regulations & Self-Heating Properties", brought together experts from research, shipping, and industry associations to examine the scientific, regulatory, and commercial challenges associated with the maritime transport of biochar and biocarbon products.
The discussion comes at a critical moment. In 2026, amendments adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) effectively classified charcoal and related carbonized biomass products as Dangerous Goods for maritime transport. While the new rules were introduced to address legitimate safety concerns associated with traditional charcoal, they have also created significant challenges for the emerging industrial biocarbon sector.
From Traditional Charcoal to Industrial Biocarbon
Traditional charcoal production in many parts of the world remains associated with deforestation, methane emissions, and highly variable product quality. The resulting products can exhibit uncontrolled properties, including an elevated risk of self-heating and spontaneous combustion. Maritime transport of such materials has caused numerous incidents, with dozens of ship fires reported globally over the past decade.
These safety concerns ultimately prompted the IMO to strengthen its regulatory framework. However, as Michael Wild, President of the International Biomass Torrefaction and Carbonisation Council (IBTC), emphasized during his presentation, the new regulations do not adequately distinguish between traditional charcoal and industrially produced, quality-controlled biocarbon products.
This distinction is becoming increasingly important. Industrial biocarbon is emerging as a key enabler of climate neutrality. In the form of biochar, it can be incorporated into soils and construction materials, permanently storing atmospheric carbon and delivering negative emissions. At the same time, biocarbon is becoming an essential renewable carbon source for metallurgical industries that cannot be fully decarbonized through electrification alone.
Yet despite their fundamentally different production processes, quality control systems, and hazard profiles, these industrial products are currently regulated under the same broad category as traditional charcoal.
Understanding the Science Behind the Risk
The session began with a presentation by Chethan Siddappa from Luleå University of Technology, who provided an overview of the mechanisms that can lead to self-heating in biocarbon materials. His work highlighted how feedstock selection, pyrolysis conditions, storage environments, and post-production handling can influence the tendency of carbonized biomass products to generate heat during storage and transport.
Importantly, the research also demonstrated that risks can be effectively minimized and managed through appropriate production standards, testing protocols, and operational procedures.
The Perspective of the Shipping Industry
Representing the shipping sector, Manuel Weber of Hapag-Lloyd outlined the industry's perspective on the issue. While shipping companies recognize the growing importance of renewable carbon products for the global transition to climate neutrality, they also carry responsibility for ensuring the safety of crews, vessels, cargoes, and ports.
Weber stressed that the industry is not opposed to transporting biocarbon products. However, differentiated treatment can only be justified if supported by robust scientific evidence and internationally recognized testing procedures capable of demonstrating that specific products present a lower risk than traditional charcoal.
Michael Wild: Building the Framework for Differentiated Regulation
The central contribution to the discussion came from Michael Wild, who presented the IBTC's ongoing efforts to develop precisely this scientific and regulatory foundation.
Wild explained that recent IMO amendments have significantly increased the administrative and operational burden associated with shipping biocarbon products and pose a significant threat to the industry's continued growth trajectory. New and largely undifferentiated requirements concerning hazard documentation, self-heating assessments, weathering procedures, cooling protocols, inerting measures, and cargo handling are increasing costs throughout the supply chain and risk undermining the economic viability of many projects.
At the same time, Wild emphasized that the industry fully supports the objective of safe and accident-free transport. The challenge is therefore not to weaken safety requirements but to ensure that regulations accurately reflect the actual risk profile of different products.
A central message of his presentation was that industrially produced biocarbon should not be conflated with heterogeneous traditional charcoal. He explained that biocarbon encompasses a range of engineered products designed to meet specific performance objectives and end-use requirements. While different production technologies, feedstocks, additives, and process conditions can result in materials with varying characteristics, these products are manufactured under controlled industrial conditions and are subject to rigorous quality management and monitoring. Based on the resulting data, it is possible to establish a scientifically robust framework that distinguishes between different product classes and their respective risk profiles, rather than treating all carbonized biomass products identically.
To address this challenge, the IBTC has launched a comprehensive initiative aimed at generating the data, methodologies, and industry coordination necessary to achieve regulatory differentiation.
Wild outlined a two-track strategy:
The first pathway focuses on helping individual companies secure interim solutions through so-called "Tripartite Agreements" under the IMSBC, allowing specific cargoes to be transported on specific routes while broader regulatory work continues.
The second, and ultimately more important, pathway involves developing entirely new cargo classifications and additionsto existing IMSBC adding new codes for industrial biocarbon products. This work includes collecting representative samples, validating testing methodologies, assessing self-heating behaviour, evaluating gas emissions such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide generation, developing standardized safety data sheets, and preparing complete technical dossiers for submission to the IMO.
To organize this effort, the IBTC has established the "IBTC IMO Consortium"—an open and collaborative platform through which companies across the value chain can jointly finance and undertake the technical work required for future regulatory recognition. By pooling resources and expertise, participating companies can significantly reduce costs while increasing the likelihood of achieving successful regulatory outcomes.
A Shared Conclusion
The subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Lylia Khennache, brought together the speakers along with representatives from both the supply and demand sides of the industry, including Philip Salfeld-Nebgen from Outokumpu and Konstantinos Rigas from Envigas.
Despite representing different parts of the value chain, participants broadly agreed on several key points.
First, safety must remain the overriding priority. No participant questioned the need for rigorous standards governing the transport and storage of biocarbon products.
Second, the current regulatory framework appears poorly suited to industrially produced biocarbon manufactured under controlled production conditions and comprehensive quality management systems.
Third, the sector urgently needs coordinated scientific work capable of demonstrating these differences through internationally accepted testing and characterization methods.
Finally, participants recognized that the challenge is not purely technical. While scientific evidence is essential, regulatory change within the IMO ultimately requires engagement with governments and national representatives. Demonstrating safety will therefore need to be accompanied by a broader explanation of why biocarbon matters strategically—not only for climate neutrality, but also for industrial competitiveness, energy security, sustainable trade, and economic development.
The Road Ahead
The discussion concluded with a strong sense that the work initiated by the IBTC represents a crucial first step toward establishing an international framework that simultaneously ensures safety and enables the growth of a sector that will be indispensable for global decarbonization.
The IBTC working group remains open to participation from companies, researchers, industry associations, and other stakeholders interested in contributing to the safe and efficient development of global biocarbon markets. By working collectively, the sector hopes to create the scientific evidence, technical standards, and regulatory pathways needed to support both maritime safety and the large-scale deployment of renewable carbon solutions.
As demand for renewable carbon continues to grow across sectors ranging from carbon removal to green metallurgy, the outcome of this work will play an important role in determining whether global biocarbon markets can scale at the pace required to support climate-neutral industrial development.
This article was written by Philipp D. Hauser, Head of the CCycle Initiative