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

The UK's “illogical” usage 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 also increase food prices.

The author says that biodiesel made from grease was worse for the climate than fossil fuels.

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

Since 2008, the UK has required fuel suppliers to add a growing proportion of sustainable products into the petrol and diesel they supply. These biofuels are generally ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, utilized cooking oil and tallow.

Deep fried fuel

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

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

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

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

The EU biofuel mandates are likewise having extremely distorting effects in the marketplace. Because used cooking oil is considered as among the most sustainable kinds of biodiesel, the cost for it has increased rapidly. Rob Bailey says that towards the end of 2012 it was more expensive than refined palm oil.

"It creates a financial reward to purchase refined palm oil, cook a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and then sell it at earnings,“

"It is insane however the rewards are there.“

There are likewise worries that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in specific is developing more climate issues than it resolves. The more fuel of this type that is put into automobiles the bigger the deficit created in the edible oils market. This had actually resulted in increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, frequently produced on deforested land.

"Once you take into consideration these indirect results, biofuels made from veggie oils really result worldwide in more emissions than you would receive from utilizing diesel in the very first location,” said Rob Bailey.

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

Biofuel advantages

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the industry, external across the EU, said it knew the problems triggered by the required. But it believes that biofuels have lots of positives.

"Blaming biofuels for all the troubles on the planet is a bit too exaggerated,” said Isabelle Maurizi, task supervisor at the EBB.

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