Biofuels: ‘Irrational’ and ‘even worse than fossil fuels’

The UK’s “illogical” use of biofuels will cost vehicle drivers around ₤ 460 million over the next 12 months, a think tank says.

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 even worse for the environment than nonrenewable fuel sources.

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 providers to include a growing proportion of sustainable products into the fuel and diesel they provide. These biofuels are generally ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, used cooking oil and tallow.

Deep fried fuel

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

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

“It is hard to find any good news,” Rob Bailey, senior research study fellow at Chatham House, told BBC News.

“Biofuels increase expenses and they are a very costly method to decrease carbon emissions,” he said.

The EU biofuel requireds are also having hugely distorting results in the marketplace. Because used cooking oil is regarded as among the most sustainable kinds of biodiesel, the rate for it has 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 profit,”

“It is crazy however the rewards exist.”

There are likewise stresses that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in specific is producing more climate problems than it fixes. The more fuel of this type that is taken into cars and trucks the bigger the deficit produced in the edible oils market. This had actually caused increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, often produced on deforested land.

“Once you take into consideration these indirect effects, biofuels made from veggie oils really result worldwide in more emissions than you would get from utilizing diesel in the first location,” stated Rob Bailey.

“Plus you are asking drivers to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is a completely irrational strategy.”

Biofuel advantages

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the industry, external throughout the EU, stated it knew the issues triggered by the mandate. But it thinks that biofuels have many positives.

“Blaming biofuels for all the problems on the planet is a bit too exaggerated,” stated Isabelle Maurizi, task supervisor at the EBB.

“It has actually brought great deals of benefits. It has improved the security of our diesel