Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'even 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 states.

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

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

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 providers to include a growing proportion of sustainable materials into the fuel 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 states that reaching the 5% level suggests that UK vehicle drivers will have to pay an extra ₤ 460m a year since of the higher cost of fuel at the pump and from filling up more frequently as biofuels have a lower energy content.

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

"It is tough to find any good news," Rob Bailey, senior research fellow at Chatham House, News.

"Biofuels increase expenses and they are an extremely costly method to minimize carbon emissions," he said.

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

"It develops a monetary incentive to buy refined palm oil, cook a chip in it to turn it into utilized cooking oil and after that sell it at profit,"

"It is insane however the rewards exist."

There are also worries that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in specific is creating more environment issues than it fixes. The more fuel of this type that is put into cars the larger the deficit developed in the edible oils market. This had actually caused increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, frequently produced on deforested land.

"Once you take into consideration these indirect effects, biofuels made from vegetable 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 vehicle drivers to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is an entirely irrational technique."

Biofuel benefits

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external throughout the EU, stated it understood the problems caused by the required. But it thinks that biofuels have many positives.

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

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