NTU study proposes tighter checks for marine fuel certification
In Singapore, Nanyang Technological University researchers and Pacific Environment released a study September 8 recommending physical testing and digital tracking of low carbon marine fuels as the International Maritime Organization develops global fuel certification standards.
The study examined certification systems including ISCC, RSB, Brazil’s RenovaBio, California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard. Researchers found that documentation alone can leave supply chains vulnerable to false claims about feedstocks such as used cooking oil and palm oil mill effluent.
They recommend chemical testing, or fuel fingerprinting, to verify origin and a centralized database recording fuel transactions to prevent the same batch from being claimed more than once.
The study also recommends limits or phaseouts for crop feedstocks considered at high risk of causing indirect land use change.
Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
