Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'worse than fossil fuels'

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

A report by Chatham House, external states the growing dependence 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 transport fuel from today.

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

Deep fried fuel

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

The report say that if the UK is to satisfy its responsibilities to EU energy targets the expense to motorists is likely to increase to ₤ 1.3 bn per year by 2020.

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

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

The EU biofuel requireds are also having hugely distorting impacts in the market. Because utilized cooking oil is considered as one of the most sustainable kinds 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, cook a chip in it to turn it into utilized cooking oil and then offer it at revenue,"

"It is crazy but the rewards exist."

There are also stresses that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in specific is creating more environment issues than it resolves. The more fuel of this type that is taken into cars the bigger the deficit created 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 account these indirect impacts, biofuels made from veggie oils in fact result worldwide in more emissions than you would get from using diesel in the very first location," said Rob Bailey.

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

Biofuel advantages

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

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

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