Gro

HåBiMet – Policy perspective

HåBiMet – Hållbart Biokol för Metallurgisk användning
Sustainable Biocarbon for Metallurgical use

Kontakt

Tova Jarnerud Örell

tova.jarnerud@swerim.se +46 (0)76 113 83 71

HåBiMet – Policy perspective

Vinnova Reference number: 2024-03408
Project duration: 2024.11.01 — 2025.12.31
Coordinator: Swerim.

The project analyses how EU and Swedish policies, regulations, and governance frameworks affect the development of metallurgical biocarbon. It focuses on identifying key regulatory barriers and enablers for production and use. The findings show that the policy landscape is complex, fragmented, and lacks clear rules specifically targeting metallurgical biocarbon. Instead, it is shaped by policies from multiple sectors—energy, forestry, agriculture, and climate—which creates uncertainty and slows down investment and large-scale deployment. 

At the same time, important policy drivers exist. Carbon pricing mechanisms (such as the EU ETS and CBAM) increase the cost of fossil carbon and improve the competitiveness of biocarbon, especially since biogenic emissions are often treated as zero in regulatory frameworks. A key challenge is competition for biomass across sectors (energy, fuels, materials, agriculture), influenced by EU policies like RED III and LULUCF. These policies determine how biomass should be prioritised and may limit feedstock availability for biocarbon production. The project also identifies concrete regulatory obstacles, most notably international transport regulations (IMO 2025), which significantly restrict bulk maritime transport of biocarbon and hinder scaling and trade. Another major issue is the lack of standards and certification for metallurgical biocarbon. Existing standards mainly target agricultural or energy uses, creating uncertainty around quality, safety, and classification in metallurgical applications. Finally, the project highlights the need for better policy coordination and clarity, and proposes a vision where:

  • Biomass is used efficiently, primarily from residues and side streams
  • Regulations are clear, harmonised, and stable
  • Value chains deliver both climate and societal benefits

Overall conclusion: While policies provide important incentives, the current uncertainty and lack of clarity are the main barriers to scaling up metallurgical biocarbon in Sweden.

Project partners: