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

The UK's "irrational" 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 reliance on sustainable liquid fuels will also increase food prices.

The author states that biodiesel made from grease was even worse for the climate than nonrenewable fuel sources.

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

Since 2008, the UK has required fuel suppliers to include a growing percentage of sustainable materials into the gas and diesel they provide. These biofuels are primarily 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 implies that UK motorists will have to pay an additional ₤ 460m a year due to the fact that of the higher expense of fuel at the pump and from filling up 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 expense to motorists is likely to increase to ₤ 1.3 bn per annum by 2020.

"It is tough to discover any great news," Rob Bailey, senior research study fellow at Chatham House, told BBC News.

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

The EU biofuel requireds are likewise having hugely distorting results in the market. Because utilized cooking oil is considered among the most sustainable types of biodiesel, the cost for it has actually risen quickly. Rob Bailey says that towards the end of 2012 it was more costly than refined palm oil.

"It creates a monetary incentive to purchase refined palm oil, prepare a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and then sell it at earnings,"

"It is insane however the rewards exist."

There are likewise stresses that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in specific is developing more environment problems 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 resulted in increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, often produced on deforested land.

"Once you take into consideration these indirect effects, biofuels made from vegetable oils in fact result worldwide in more emissions than you would obtain from utilizing diesel in the first place," stated Rob Bailey.

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

Biofuel benefits

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

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

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