Climate change: Growing doubts over chip fat biofuel
21 April 2021
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New research questions the ecological effect of increasing imports of used 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 saves carbon by displacing fossil oil.
But such is the demand across Europe that imports now account for over half of the UCO that's made into fuel.
According to the study, external, there's no way to prove these imports are sustainable.
With no screening of what's coming in, specialists believe it is also ripe for scams.
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Reducing emissions from transportation is showing to be one of the hardest obstacles for federal governments all over the world.
They've encouraged using biofuels as a crucial ways of curbing carbon from cars and trucks and lorries.
Biofuels are typically a mix of fossil fuel and oil made from plants or veggies.
The truth that these crops can be re-grown and absorb more CO2 implies they cancel out the carbon released when utilized in engines.
Soy and palm oil were as soon as commonly used as parts of biodiesel but this practice has actually been extensively rejected due to the fact that it encourages deforestation.
So for the last decade approximately, making use of used cooking oil has actually broadened enormously as an alternative feedstock for fuel.
Chip fat and other waste oils have ended up being an essential part of biodiesel with an efficient industry springing up across Europe to gather and process the product.
But with the amount of biodiesel made from UCO increasing by around 40% every year considering that 2014, there just isn't enough chip fat to go around.
According to a report from the project group Transport & Environment, external, over half of the UCO utilized in Europe is imported.
Their research study suggests this is highly problematic when it comes to effect on the environment.
While UCO is considered a waste product in the UK, in China, Indonesia and Malaysia it has long been used to feed animals. The report raises the question of what individuals in these nations are replacing 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 circulation of UCO is most likely to be comparable.
With a population of around 33 million, that's close to three litres per head of used oil that's gathered and exported to the UK and Ireland alone.
By comparison, Thailand, which has a population of 70 million individuals, handled to gather around 5 million litres of UCO in 2019.
"Because we are purchasing it, they have less utilized cooking oil to utilize on the important things that they were formerly using it for," stated Greg Archer with Transport & Environment.
"And they're just purchasing more virgin oil which virgin oil is mainly palm oil, since that's the most inexpensive oil readily available.
"So indirectly, we're just motivating more logging in Southeast Asia."
Another significant issue with UCO is the suspicion of scams.
Because of demand from Europe, the cost of UCO is often greater than palm oil. The concern is that some unethical traders are merely diluting shipments of UCO with palm.
As oils of various types are blended in bulk for transport, and no testing of the materials is carried out, some professionals think fraud is rife.
The suggestion of scams anywhere along the chain of supply is declined by the European Waste-to-Advanced Biofuels Association (EWABA), who say there are robust accreditation schemes in place.
"It is commonly understood that the European Commission has taken relevant steps to totally suppress unsound market practices in biofuel markets," said 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 have to be signed up.
"The combination of revised accreditation plans and the pan-EU track and trace database will guarantee that no sustainability problems occur in the entire biofuels and bio-liquids supply chain," he informed BBC News.
Others in the field are concerned that the database concept, which was very first mooted in 2018, may not be effective in stemming believed scams.
The report from Transport & Environment points out that with shipping and aviation seeking to decarbonise by utilizing biofuels, demand for UCO might double over the next decade.
"Rising the demand beyond sustainable supply levels would increase these concerns, and threats of using 'phony' UCO, potentially causing indirect effects such as deforestation."
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc, external.
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Climate Change: Growing Doubts Over Chip Fat Biofuel
kitanglin2171 edited this page 2025-01-09 00:00:59 +00:00