Biofuels: 'Irrational' and '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 says.

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

The author states that made from grease was even 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 actually needed fuel suppliers to add a growing percentage of sustainable products into the petrol and diesel they provide. These biofuels are primarily ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, used cooking oil and tallow.

Deep fried fuel

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

The report state that if the UK is to fulfill its commitments to EU energy targets the expense to drivers is most likely to rise to ₤ 1.3 bn per annum by 2020.

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

"Biofuels increase costs and they are a really pricey way to lower carbon emissions," he stated.

The EU biofuel requireds are also having hugely distorting effects in the marketplace. Because utilized cooking oil is considered as one of the most sustainable types of biodiesel, the price for it has increased quickly. Rob Bailey says that towards the end of 2012 it was more costly than refined palm oil.

"It produces a financial reward to buy refined palm oil, cook a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and after that sell it at revenue,"

"It is crazy however the rewards are there."

There are also stresses that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in particular is producing more climate problems than it solves. The more fuel of this type that is taken into vehicles the larger the deficit created in the edible oils market. This had caused increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, typically produced on deforested land.

"Once you take into account these indirect impacts, biofuels made from vegetable oils in fact result worldwide in more emissions than you would obtain 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 a totally irrational technique."

Biofuel advantages

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the industry, external throughout the EU, stated it understood the problems brought on 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 overstated," said Isabelle Maurizi, project manager at the EBB.

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