Biofuels: ‘Irrational’ and ‘worse than nonrenewable fuel sources'

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

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

The author says that biodiesel made from vegetable oil was worse for the climate 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 required fuel suppliers to include a growing proportion of sustainable materials into the fuel and diesel they provide. These biofuels are mainly ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, used cooking oil and tallow.

Deep fried fuel

But research performed for Chatham House says that reaching the 5% level means that UK drivers will have to pay an extra ₤ 460m a year because of the higher expense of fuel at the pump and from filling more frequently as biofuels have a lower energy content.

The report say that if the UK is to meet its obligations to EU energy targets the cost to motorists is most likely to increase to ₤ 1.3 bn per year by 2020.

"It is hard to find any great news,” Rob Bailey, senior research study fellow at Chatham House, News.

"Biofuels increase expenses and they are a really expensive method to decrease carbon emissions,” he stated.

The EU biofuel mandates are also having hugely distorting effects in the market. Because used cooking oil is considered one of the most sustainable types of biodiesel, the cost for it has risen quickly. Rob Bailey says that towards completion of 2012 it was more pricey than refined palm oil.

"It develops a monetary reward to purchase refined palm oil, prepare a chip in it to turn it into utilized cooking oil and after that offer it at earnings,“

"It is crazy however the incentives exist.“

There are likewise worries that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in specific is creating 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 lead to increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, typically produced on deforested land.

"Once you consider these indirect results, biofuels made from vegetable oils actually result worldwide in more emissions than you would obtain from utilizing diesel in the very first location,” stated Rob Bailey.

"Plus you are asking drivers to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is a totally illogical technique.“

Biofuel benefits

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external across the EU, stated it understood the issues brought on by the mandate. But it believes that biofuels have lots of positives.

"Blaming biofuels for all the problems worldwide is a bit too exaggerated,” stated Isabelle Maurizi, job manager at the EBB.

"It has actually brought great deals of advantages. It has improved the security of our diesel