Climate change: Growing doubts over chip fat biofuel
21 April 2021
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New research study concerns the ecological impact of increasing imports of utilized cooking oil (UCO) into the UK and Europe.
Chip fat and other oils are considered waste, so when they are used to make biodiesel it conserves carbon emissions by displacing fossil oil.
But such is the need throughout Europe that imports now represent over half of the UCO that's made into fuel.
According to the research study, external, there's no chance to prove these imports are sustainable.
With no screening of what's can be found in, experts believe it is also ripe for fraud.
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Reducing emissions from transport is showing to be one of the most difficult difficulties for governments all over the world.
They've encouraged the usage of biofuels as an important methods of suppressing carbon from cars and trucks and lorries.
Biofuels are typically a mix of nonrenewable fuel source and oil made from plants or .
The fact that these crops can be re-grown and absorb more CO2 means they cancel out the carbon emitted when utilized in engines.
Soy and palm oil were when extensively used as parts of biodiesel however this practice has actually been extensively challenged because it encourages deforestation.
So for the last years approximately, the usage of used cooking oil has broadened enormously as an alternative feedstock for fuel.
Chip fat and other waste oils have actually become a crucial part of biodiesel with an effective industry emerging across Europe to collect and process the product.
But with the quantity of biodiesel made from UCO increasing by around 40% every year because 2014, there merely isn't sufficient chip fat to go around.
According to a report from the campaign group Transport & Environment, external, over half of the UCO used in Europe is imported.
Their study suggests this is highly bothersome when it comes to influence on the environment.
While UCO is considered a waste material in the UK, in China, Indonesia and Malaysia it has long been utilized to feed animals. The report raises the concern of what individuals in these countries are changing the UCO with, when it is exported.
In 2019, Malaysia exported 90 million litres of UCO to the UK and Ireland. Figures for their exports to other European countries aren't available however the flow of UCO is most likely to be comparable.
With a population of around 33 million, that's close to 3 litres per head of utilized oil that's gathered and exported to the UK and Ireland alone.
By comparison, Thailand, which has a population of 70 million people, managed to gather around 5 million litres of UCO in 2019.
"Because we are purchasing it, they have actually less utilized cooking oil to use on the things that they were formerly using it for," stated Greg Archer with Transport & Environment.
"And they're simply buying more virgin oil and that virgin oil is mainly palm oil, since that's the least expensive oil readily available.
"So indirectly, we're just encouraging more deforestation in Southeast Asia."
Another major problem with UCO is the suspicion of fraud.
Because of need from Europe, the rate of UCO is often greater than palm oil. The concern is that some deceitful traders are just diluting shipments of UCO with palm.
As oils of various types are mixed in bulk for transportation, and no testing of the products is performed, some professionals believe scams is swarming.
The tip of fraud anywhere along the chain of supply is turned down by the European Waste-to-Advanced Biofuels Association (EWABA), who say there are robust accreditation schemes in location.
"It is extensively known that the European Commission has taken relevant steps to totally curb unsound market practices in biofuel markets," stated Angel Alberdi, EWABA's secretary general.
He says a brand-new database being developed by the EU will ensure that trading, accreditation and sustainability data on all bio-liquids will need to be signed up.
"The mix of modified certification schemes and the pan-EU track and trace database will guarantee that no sustainability issues occur in the entire biofuels and bio-liquids supply chain," he informed BBC News.
Others in the field are worried that the database concept, which was first mooted in 2018, may not be reliable in stemming suspected fraud.
The report from Transport & Environment mentions that with shipping and aviation aiming to decarbonise by utilizing biofuels, demand for UCO might double over the next decade.
"Rising the need beyond sustainable supply levels would increase these concerns, and risks of utilizing 'fake' UCO, possibly leading to indirect effects such as logging."
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc, external.
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Climate Change: Growing Doubts Over Chip Fat Biofuel
Ollie Wicker edited this page 2025-01-12 11:45:28 +00:00