Green Fuel Certification Needs Chemical Fingerprinting to Curb Feedstock Fraud, NTU Study Says

A new study from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has called for chemical “fingerprinting” of biofuels to strengthen certification systems and prevent fraudulent claims about feedstocks as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) develops rules for sustainable marine fuels.

The study, commissioned by US climate campaign group Pacific Environment and conducted by NTU’s Maritime Energy and Sustainable Development (MESD) centre of excellence, examines existing fuel certification frameworks and identifies weaknesses that could undermine the credibility of low-carbon fuels used in shipping.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reviewed the study before its publication.

Why Biofuel Feedstock Fraud Is a Concern

The report points to recent cases in which virgin crop oils were reportedly certified as waste-based feedstocks, including used cooking oil (UCO) and palm oil mill effluent (POME). Such discrepancies were detected only after the volumes being declared became difficult to reconcile with plausible supply levels.

According to the study, reliance on documentation and conventional chain-of-custody checks may therefore be insufficient as international shipping increases its use of alternative fuels.

The researchers recommend introducing chemical testing, or “fingerprinting”, to establish the actual origin of a fuel independently of its accompanying documentation. The approach would require further methodological development and a cost-benefit assessment before wider implementation.

Singapore has already developed a fingerprinting method using methanol as a case study, according to the report.

IMO Sustainable Fuel Rules Could Draw on Existing Schemes

The NTU study assesses several existing certification systems that could provide models for the framework being developed by the IMO as part of its Net-Zero Frame