Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'even worse than nonrenewable fuel sources'

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

A report by Chatham House, external says the growing reliance on sustainable liquid fuels will likewise increase food prices.

The author states that biodiesel made from grease was worse for the environment than fossil fuels.

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

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

Deep fried fuel

But research study carried out for Chatham House says that reaching the 5% level means that UK vehicle drivers will need to pay an additional ₤ 460m a year since of the greater cost of fuel at the pump and from filling more frequently as biofuels have a lower energy content.

The report state that if the UK is to fulfill its commitments to EU energy targets the expense to vehicle drivers is likely to rise to ₤ 1.3 bn per year by 2020.

"It is hard to discover any good news," Rob Bailey, senior research fellow at Chatham House, told BBC News.

"Biofuels increase costs and they are an extremely pricey way to lower carbon emissions," he stated.

The EU biofuel requireds are also having hugely distorting impacts in the marketplace. Because utilized cooking oil is concerned as among the most sustainable types of biodiesel, the cost for it has actually increased rapidly. 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, cook a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and after that sell it at earnings,"

"It is crazy but the incentives exist."

There are likewise stresses that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in particular is developing more climate problems than it solves. The more fuel of this type that is taken into cars and trucks the larger the deficit developed in the edible oils market. This had resulted in increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, frequently produced on deforested land.

"Once you take into consideration these indirect impacts, biofuels made from veggie oils in fact result worldwide in more emissions than you would obtain from using diesel in the first location," stated Rob Bailey.

"Plus you are asking motorists to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is an entirely irrational strategy."

Biofuel benefits

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external across the EU, said it was mindful of the problems triggered by the mandate. But it believes that biofuels have numerous positives.

"Blaming biofuels for all the difficulties in the world is a bit too exaggerated," stated Isabelle Maurizi, job manager at the EBB.

"It has brought lots of advantages. It has actually improved the security of our diesel; it has reduced EU dependence on animal feed imports, thanks to the rapeseed we grow for biodiesel."

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

As the UK hits the 5% of liquid fuels mark, the government faces some challenging decisions on how to progress on this issue as it deals with tripling the expenses for motorists by 2020.

Insiders suggest its choice would be to try and get agreement in Brussels on the effects of indirect costs which may constrain what counts as biofuel. However getting contract from nations with powerful agricultural sectors who gain from the current plan will be hard.

"When you have a lobby which consists of the farming sector and the oil sector it is extremely hard for Governments to make a U-turn," stated 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