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Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'worse than nonrenewable fuel sources'


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


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


The author states that biodiesel 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 needed fuel providers to add a growing percentage of sustainable materials into the fuel and diesel they provide. These biofuels are mainly ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, utilized cooking oil and tallow.


Deep fried fuel


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


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


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


"Biofuels increase costs and they are a really pricey method to decrease carbon emissions," he said.


The EU biofuel requireds are also having extremely distorting results in the marketplace. Because used cooking oil is considered as one of the most sustainable kinds of biodiesel, the rate for it has risen rapidly. Rob Bailey says that towards the end of 2012 it was more expensive than refined palm oil.


"It creates a monetary incentive to purchase refined palm oil, cook a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and then offer it at revenue,"


"It is insane however the rewards are there."


There are also stresses that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in particular is developing more environment issues than it resolves. The more fuel of this type that is taken into cars the larger the deficit developed in the edible oils market. This had resulted in increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, typically produced on deforested land.


"Once you take into consideration these indirect impacts, biofuels made from veggie oils actually 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 a totally irrational technique."


Biofuel advantages


The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the industry, external across the EU, stated it understood the issues triggered by the required. But it believes that biofuels have numerous positives.


"Blaming biofuels for all the troubles in the world is a bit too exaggerated," stated Isabelle Maurizi, task supervisor at the EBB.


"It has brought great deals of benefits. It has actually enhanced the security of our diesel; it has reduced EU dependency on animal feed imports, thanks to the rapeseed we grow for biodiesel."


"If there was no biodiesel farmers would simply make their land idle - no food, no feed!"


As the UK strikes the 5% of liquid fuels mark, the federal government deals with some difficult decisions on how to progress on this problem as it deals with tripling the expenses for motorists by 2020.


Insiders suggest its choice would be to attempt and get contract in Brussels on the impacts of indirect expenses which may constrain what counts as biofuel. However getting arrangement from countries with powerful farming sectors who take advantage of the present plan will be difficult.


"When you have a lobby that includes the agricultural sector and the oil sector it is really difficult for Governments to make a U-turn," stated Rob Bailey.


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