Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'even worse than fossil fuels'

The UK's "irrational" use of biofuels will cost drivers around ₤ 460 million over the next 12 months, a think tank states.

A report by Chatham House, external states the growing dependence on sustainable liquid fuels will also increase food costs.

The author states that biodiesel made from grease was worse for the environment than nonrenewable fuel sources.

Under EU law, external, biofuels are set to make up 5% of the UK's transport fuel from today.

Since 2008, the UK has actually required fuel suppliers to include a growing percentage of sustainable products into the gas and diesel they provide. These biofuels are generally ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, utilized cooking oil and tallow.

Deep fried fuel

But research study performed for Chatham House says that reaching the 5% level indicates that UK motorists will have to pay an additional ₤ 460m a year since of the greater expense of fuel at the pump and from filling more frequently as biofuels have a lower energy material.

The report say that if the UK is to satisfy its commitments to EU energy targets the expense to vehicle drivers is most likely to rise to ₤ 1.3 bn per annum by 2020.

"It is difficult to find any excellent news," Rob Bailey, senior research fellow at Chatham House, told BBC News.

"Biofuels increase expenses and they are a very expensive way to decrease carbon emissions," he stated.

The EU biofuel requireds are also having extremely distorting effects in the marketplace. Because utilized cooking oil is considered as one of the most sustainable types of biodiesel, the rate for it has actually risen quickly. Rob Bailey says that towards the end of 2012 it was more costly than refined palm oil.

"It produces a financial reward to purchase refined palm oil, prepare a chip in it to turn it into utilized cooking oil and after that offer it at revenue,"

"It is crazy but the rewards exist."

There are also worries that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in specific is producing more environment issues than it resolves. The more fuel of this type that is taken into cars and trucks the bigger the deficit developed in the edible oils market. This had lead to increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, typically produced on deforested land.

"Once you take into account these indirect impacts, biofuels made from vegetable oils really result worldwide in more emissions than you would obtain from utilizing diesel in the first place," stated Rob Bailey.

"Plus you are asking motorists to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is a totally unreasonable strategy."

Biofuel advantages

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external across the EU, said it knew the issues caused by the required. But it believes that biofuels have many positives.

"Blaming biofuels for all the problems in the world is a bit too exaggerated," said Isabelle Maurizi, project supervisor at the EBB.

"It has brought great deals of benefits. It has enhanced the security of our diesel; it has actually decreased EU dependence on animal feed imports, thanks to the rapeseed we grow for biodiesel."

"If there was no biodiesel farmers would simply make their land idle - no food, no feed!"

As the UK strikes the 5% of liquid fuels mark, the federal government faces some difficult decisions on how to move on on this concern as it faces tripling the expenses for vehicle drivers by 2020.

Insiders recommend its preference would be to attempt and get contract in Brussels on the effects of indirect expenses which may constrain what counts as biofuel. However getting arrangement from nations with effective farming sectors who benefit from the present plan will be tough.

"When you have a lobby that includes the farming sector and the oil sector it is very hard for Governments to make a U-turn," said Rob Bailey.

County begins recycling chip fat

8 December 2010

How does Qantas fly on chip fat? Video, 00:02:00 How does Qantas fly on chip fat?

13 April 2012

Measuring energy crops' footprint

18 October 2012