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Proponents of biodiesel say this eco-friendly fuel will cut emissions of greenhouse gases - and also help to revive the struggling farming industry in this country.
Alternative transport fuels are one of those eco-friendly good ideas waiting to happen. By challenging the dominance of even low-sulphur diesel and unleaded petrol, there are significant gains to be made in terms of reducing carbon dioxide (CO²) and improving air quality. Biodiesel is one of these fuels waiting in the wings, with the potential to become commonplace on garage forecourts and to develop a significant industry in the UK.
Biodiesel is made mainly from oilseed crops, usually rapeseed, and processed for use in diesel engines. Its sister fuel, bioethanol, is produced from fermented cereals or sugar beet. Biodiesel is sold in a handful of UK garages blended with 95% conventional diesel, a mix that requires no engine modification and, it is claimed, improves engine performance and reduces diesel particulate emissions by up to 28%.
According to advocates of biodiesel and bioethanol, the benefits come not only from improving what comes out of the exhaust pipe but also from using a sustainable, grown fuel rather than mining finite resources. Building a biodiesel industry would also give farming a much-needed shot in the arm.
The British Association of Bio fuels and Oils (Babfo) claims that, through its whole life cycle, bio fuel gives 60-66% better performance compared to diesel in reducing the so-called greenhouse gases, including CO². This takes into account the reduced pollution as well as the energy used to grow the crops – making fertilizers and powering farm vehicles. The major gain is through the recycling of CO² – the amount produced by burning the fuel is counterbalanced by the amount captured by the growing plants.
Babfo argues that bio diesel improves engine performance through better oxygenation and lubrication. The organisation also highlights the safety case of the fuel, which in the event of a spill, will biodegrade in 28 days and will not harm human skin.
While a 5% cut in CO² output – the bio diesel already available in the UK is sold as a 5% blend – may appear marginal, lobbyists are urging ministers to see a much bigger picture: the effect on farming.
Babfo chairman Peter Clery says: "The real story here is the potential for UK farmland to produce one million tonnes of biodiesel a year." Ninety companies from a range of sectors would be involved in biodiesel production – from agricultural to chemical processing to collection. He believes production could come from land currently lying fallow and with only minimal changes to infrastructure and farming systems.
Fallow land back under crops
"The yield from oilseed crops is 1.5 tonnes/ha and at the moment we've got over 600,000 ha idle under the set-aside scheme," says Clery. Under this EU scheme, 10% of Europe's arable farmland is managed but kept fallow. Freeing up some of that could produce initially 2% of the 37 million tonnes of petrol and diesel used in the UK. Babfo has launched a 10% campaign - to raise production to 10% of the market requirement, over 10 years, from 10% of UK farmland.
The National Farmers' Union agrees that the creation of a bio fuels industry would be a huge benefit to arable farming. "Looking to the long term, it's one of the very few positive areas for farming," it says. However, like any industry finding its feet, it needs a helping hand to stimulate demand. That means pushing the government to reduce duty on biodiesel, as it has done on gas fuels. Babfo argues that those fuels – liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas – give less impressive improvements in air quality and no reduction of CO². The most popular of these, LPG, is subject to duty of 4.5p/litre and, with the participation of large oil companies, is available in more than 1,000 petrol stations at half the price of petrol or diesel.
In the 2001 budget, the Chancellor did reduce the duty on biodiesel, but only by 20p/litre - down to 25.8p/litre. This came into effect last July and is described by Clery as a start, "but inadequate to bring forward the potential of the fuel". The industry would like another 20p rebate in duty to kick-start demand.
The current rebate is enough to make it economic to produce biodiesel from used cooking oil. One company already making headway in this, and with big expansion plans, is Global Commodities, based near Thetford in Norfolk. The firm takes in 75 tonnes of cooking oil a week, collected from large-scale food producers as well as restaurants and chip shops.
The oil filtered in and treated, adding methanol and sodium salts in an enclosed process to create the biodiesel, sold under the brand name driveECO.
The factory has capacity to make 10 million litres of driveECO a year. Managing director Dennis Thouless says: "We expect, when we take over our new factory in Lowestoft, to be making 180 million litres a year." The new site is expected to be running by September.
EC to boost demand
That projected capacity may sounds excessive for an outfit that sells its product from 15 petrol stations in Norfolk. But Thouless points out that a European Commission directive will soon demand production levels far exceeding Global Commodities' predicted output. The proposed directive is expected to demand that 2% of diesel used in Europe must be of organic origin by 2005, increasing to 5.75% by 2010. "To achieve 2% of diesel requires 368 million litres," says Thouless.
Thouless would also like to see another 20p reduction in fuel duty to spur on large-scale planting of crops for fuel, even though he believes there is sufficient used cooking oil to allow the company to accomplish its expansion plans. "I'd prefer to use virgin oil as it would then create a complete circle," says Thouless. "If that could happen, East Anglia would become the oilfields of the future."
He claims the UK is being left behind compared to France, where 5% blends of biodiesel fuel are widely available, and Germany, where pure bio diesel is sold alongside the 5% blend, because of the low duty. He also objects to the lack of capital assistance from the government. "If I'd set this up in France I'd have got grants, but over here I've not had a penny,"
Thouless envisages that in the next few years mainly 5% blend will be sold to motorists, while 30% blend could be provided for haulage companies, with some modification to vehicle fleets.
British Biogen, the association representing all forms of bioenergy, including energy waste, also supports the case for reduced duty. While many in industry see a cut in duty as unlikely to come this year, given the state of the economy, there is hope for budget day 2004. British Biogen chief executive Peter Billens says: "We're very optimistic about it. It's going to happen. The economics, environmental benefits and security of supply issues are all coming together now."
From Professional Engineering Magazine – February 2003
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