ISSUES

Biofuels Information

There are several types of biofuel:

• Biodiesel which can be used neat, but is generally used as a blend in conventional diesel. It is produced mainly from plant oils - including recycled waste vegetable oil and oil crops such as rapeseed and palm.
• Bioethanol which can be blended into petrol and can be produced from a number of crops including sugar beet and wheat.
• Biogas can be used instead of compressed natural gas to power gas vehicles.
• Oil can be made from Algae (called 'Oilgae'). More
• Biomass is cellulose based plant material that needs burning to release energy.

In mid-2005 biofuel made up 0.25% of overall road fuel sales and around 50% of it was imported. If the RTFO 2010 target is achieved and if this was produced entirely in the UK from crops like oilseed rape then around 1.5 million hectares of land will be required which is equal to about 25% of UK arable land. To meet the 10% EU target will require half EU land according to F Fischler (IPC Conference 07 pdf)

Biofuels generate Greenhouse Gases. The following chart comes from Science Magazine 4 January 2008 "How Green are Biofuels?" Everything in the shaded box is better than petrol (gasoline), producing lower GHG emissions & having less environmental impact.

Carbon reporting from seed to tank.

The carbon footprint and the environmental impact of the end-to end supply chain (seed to tank) must be constantly monitored to ensure that the promised carbon reduction is met. Currently the RTFO is not directly linked to carbon saving however this is expected to evolve to provide more incentive to best environmental practices. Companies may have to report along the chain about their carbon track.

Using a life-cycle approach and data published by Government, the table below show that a substantial savings can be obtained by displacing ultra low sulphur diesel from crude oil by biodiesel from oilseed rape. (from CIF VCA pdf but not web link)

Total GHG Emissions – Comparison between Conventional Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) and Biodiesel from a Supply Chain in the Northeast of England

International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) calculates that the cost of using ethanol from sugar beet to avoid emitting one tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) ranges from 600 - 800 euros. The same amount would buy 160 tonnes of carbon dioxide to be 'offset' by buying 'credits' on the Chicago Climate Exchange. Credits are used for such purposes as planting trees.

Generally, biofuels made from high-sugar crops or recycled cooking oil can contribute to higher savings on fossil fuels than those made from oilseeds or grains. More than 90 percent of the 6 million tonnes of biofuels produced in the EU during 2006 was made from rapeseed oil.

Challenge to IPCC advice on biofuels

Biofuels