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

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

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

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

Under EU law, external, biofuels are set to make up 5% of the UK's transportation 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 generally from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, utilized cooking oil and tallow.

Deep fried fuel

But research study brought out for Chatham House states that reaching the 5% level indicates that UK vehicle drivers will need to pay an extra ₤ 460m a year since of the greater cost of fuel at the pump and from filling up more often as biofuels have a lower energy material.

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

"It is hard to find 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 lower carbon emissions," he stated.

The EU biofuel requireds are also having extremely distorting impacts in the market. Because utilized cooking oil is considered one of the most sustainable kinds of biodiesel, the price for it has actually risen rapidly. Rob Bailey states that towards completion of 2012 it was more costly than refined palm oil.

"It produces a financial incentive to purchase refined palm oil, cook a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and then sell it at profit,"

"It is insane however the incentives are there."

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

"Once you consider these indirect effects, biofuels made from vegetable oils actually result worldwide in more emissions than you would get from using diesel in the first location," stated Rob Bailey.

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

Biofuel benefits

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the industry, external throughout the EU, said it understood the problems triggered by the required. But it thinks that biofuels have numerous positives.

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

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