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

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

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

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

Under EU law, external, biofuels are set to comprise 5% of the fuel from today.

Since 2008, the UK has required fuel providers to add a growing percentage of sustainable products into the fuel and diesel they provide. These biofuels are generally ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, utilized cooking oil and tallow.

Deep fried fuel

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

The report state that if the UK is to satisfy its obligations to EU energy targets the expense to vehicle drivers is likely to rise to ₤ 1.3 bn per year by 2020.

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

"Biofuels increase expenses and they are an extremely costly way to minimize carbon emissions," he said.

The EU biofuel requireds are also having extremely distorting effects in the market. Because used cooking oil is considered among the most sustainable types of biodiesel, the price for it has increased quickly. Rob Bailey says that towards completion of 2012 it was more costly than refined palm oil.

"It produces a financial reward to purchase refined palm oil, prepare a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and after that offer it at revenue,"

"It is crazy however the rewards are there."

There are likewise frets that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in specific is developing more climate issues than it resolves. The more fuel of this type that is taken into cars the bigger 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 consider 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," said Rob Bailey.

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

Biofuel advantages

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external throughout the EU, said it was conscious of the issues triggered by the mandate. But it thinks that biofuels have lots of positives.

"Blaming biofuels for all the troubles on the planet is a bit too overstated," said Isabelle Maurizi, job supervisor at the EBB.

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