European Biocarbon Summit 2025: Advancing Biocarbon in Metallurgical Sector
The European Biocarbon Summit 2025 in Amsterdam once again confirmed its role as a central platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange and market development in the rapidly evolving Biocarbon sector. Bringing together producers, technology providers, industrial users, investors and policymakers, the summit offered a highly practical and fact-based discussion on the role of biomass-based carbon in industrial decarbonisation.
Across two intensive days, the conference focused on concrete project experiences, emerging market dynamics, regulatory frameworks and sustainability requirements. Particular attention was given to the growing relevance of Biocarbon and Biocoal in hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement, lime and chemicals, as well as the interaction between biomass use and carbon markets.
Biocarbon for the Metallurgical Sector: Key Insights from the Panel
One of the central sessions of the summit was the panel discussion on "Biocarbon for the Metallurgical Sector", moderated by Michael Wild, President of the International Biomass Torrefaction and Carbonisation Council (IBTC). The panel brought together representatives from potential key consumers of Biocarbon in the ferrous and non ferrous metallurgy to assess the current state of Biocarbon deployment and the remaining barriers to large-scale adoption.
Panelists included:
- Frank Düssler, Director Transformation and Regulation, GMH Gruppe
- Laurent Joncourt, Bioreductant Programme Director, ERAMET
- Joakim Norman, Research Project Manager, LKAB R&D
- Steve Sirdey, European Buyer Alternative Reductants, ArcelorMittal
- Frank Van Der Zon, Manager Biomass Coal Procurement, Tata Steel
The discussion clearly confirmed a strong and growing demand for high fixed-carbon Biocarbon, particularly as a substitute for fossil coal in metallurgical applications. Panellists reported significant technical progress within individual companies and extensive testing activities across multiple production routes and furnace types. At the same time, the panel highlighted that only a limited number of tested Biocarbon samples currently meet the strict requirements for use for instance in Electric Arc Furnaces. One key reason identified was the absence of a common quality criteria and specification. Not so much when Biocarbon is consumed for energy like as PCI but for reducing or foaming applications each producer applies its own operational parameters and performance criteria, resulting in highly individualised requirements for Biocarbon quality and behaviour. This diversity presents a challenge for the development of a commercial supply market of fungible products. Nevertheless, most metallurgical companies expressed a clear preference to remain buyers of Biocarbon rather than integrating upstream into production themselves.
Another important aspect addressed was market economics. The panel noted that the currently limited willingness of downstream markets to pay a sufficient premium for green steel remains a significant barrier to faster deployment, despite strong strategic commitments to decarbonisation.
Key Learnings from the Session
Several clear takeaways emerged from the discussion: A strong and growing demand was confirmed by all panellists, with a shared recognition of the increasing need for high Cfix Biocarbon. In parallel, several companies reported meaningful technical progress over recent months. Biocarbon qualification remains one of the bottlenecks. Extensive trials demonstrated that only a limited share of tested materials currently qualify for use for instance in Electric Arc Furnaces. The diversity of furnace designs and operational philosophies means that no single Biocarbon specification can serve all users. Each of the metallurgical companies applies its own set of performance parameters and quality requirements, partly even for individual plants. This variability has direct implications for market development. While it complicates the creation of a unified and standardized commercial supply market, metallurgical companies nevertheless indicated a strong preference to remain purchasers of Biocarbon rather than integrating upstream into production. Finally, market realities continue to slow momentum. A recurring challenge remains the limited willingness of the market to pay a premium for green steel, which currently constrains faster and broader adoption of Biocarbon solutions.
A Clear Signal and an Open Challenge
The overall conclusion of the panel discussion was clear. The willingness to move forward exists and the need for Biocarbon in metallurgy is undisputed. However, technical qualification, market alignment and economic incentives are not yet fully in place to enable rapid, large-scale implementation.
IBTC will continue to support the sector by facilitating dialogue between producers and users, contributing to standardisation efforts, and providing platforms for transparent exchange of technical and market experience. The European Summit once again demonstrated the value of collaboration in turning ambition into implementation.
