Climate change: Growing doubts over chip fat biofuel

21 April 2021

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New research questions the environmental effect of rising imports of utilized cooking oil (UCO) into the UK and Europe.

Chip fat and other oils are considered waste, so when they are utilized to make biodiesel it saves carbon emissions by displacing fossil oil.

But such is the need across Europe that imports now account for more than half of the UCO that’s made into fuel.

According to the research study, external, there’s no other way to show these imports are sustainable.

Without any testing of what’s coming in, specialists believe it is also ripe for scams.

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Reducing emissions from transport is showing to be one of the most difficult obstacles for governments all over the world.

They’ve motivated making use of biofuels as an important ways of curbing carbon from cars and trucks.

Biofuels are generally a blend of nonrenewable fuel source and oil made from plants or vegetables.

The reality that these crops can be re-grown and take in more CO2 implies they counteract the carbon produced when utilized in engines.

Soy and palm oil were as soon as commonly used as parts of biodiesel however this practice has been commonly rejected because it motivates deforestation.

So for the last years approximately, the usage of utilized cooking oil has expanded massively as an alternative feedstock for fuel.

Chip fat and other waste oils have become a crucial element of with an efficient market emerging throughout Europe to gather and process the product.

But with the quantity of biodiesel made from UCO increasing by around 40% every year since 2014, there just isn’t adequate chip fat to walk around.

According to a report from the project group Transport & Environment, external, over half of the UCO used in Europe is imported.

Their research study suggests this is highly problematic when it concerns influence on the environment.

While UCO is thought about 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 nations 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 offered but the flow of UCO is 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, managed to collect around 5 million litres of UCO in 2019.

“Because we are purchasing it, they have less utilized cooking oil to use on the things that they were previously using it for,” said Greg Archer with Transport & Environment.

“And they’re simply buying more virgin oil and that virgin oil is largely palm oil, because that’s the most affordable oil offered.

“So indirectly, we’re just motivating more deforestation in Southeast Asia.”

Another significant issue with UCO is the suspicion of fraud.

Because of demand from Europe, the cost of UCO is often higher than palm oil. The concern is that some deceitful traders are merely diluting shipments of UCO with palm.

As oils of different types are mixed in bulk for transportation, and no screening of the materials is performed, some professionals think scams is rife.

The recommendation of fraud anywhere along the chain of supply is rejected by the European Waste-to-Advanced Biofuels Association (EWABA), who say there are robust accreditation plans in place.

“It is extensively understood that the European Commission has taken appropriate actions to totally suppress unsound market practices in biofuel markets,” said Angel Alberdi, EWABA’s secretary general.

He states a brand-new database being developed by the EU will ensure that trading, certification and sustainability information on all bio-liquids will have to be signed up.

“The mix of revised accreditation schemes and the pan-EU track and trace database will ensure that no sustainability problems arise in the whole biofuels and bio-liquids supply chain,” he told BBC News.

Others in the field are concerned that the database idea, which was very first mooted in 2018, may not be effective in stemming suspected scams.

The report from Transport & Environment points out that with shipping and aviation looking to decarbonise by utilizing biofuels, demand for UCO could double over the next years.

“Rising the need beyond sustainable supply levels would increase these concerns, and dangers of using ‘phony’ UCO, potentially leading to indirect impacts such as logging.”

Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc, external.

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