EU biodiesel plan will not reduce emissions - SRI

24 April 2007 11:12  [Source: ICIS news]

By Mark Watts

 

LONDON (ICIS news)--The EU's biodiesel initiative will do nothing to alleviate greenhouse gas emissions and the fuel may be more harmful than petroleum derived diesel, said an energy analyst at SRI Consulting on Tuesday.

 

Results of an SRI study found that rapeseed derived biodiesel (RDB) and standard diesel produced almost identical volumes of greenhouse gases.

 

Also, if land used to grow rapeseed was instead used to grow trees petroleum diesel would emit only a third of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions as RDB, the study said.

 

The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) does not prevent rapeseed for fuel feedstock from being planted on set-aside land.

 

“Farmers in the EU are being paid not to grow food,” author of the study Eric Johnson told ICIS news. “However, it would make more sense to convert set-aside land into forest, as on a greenhouse gas basis this would be a major bonus to the environment,” he said.

 

While conventional diesel emits 85% of its greenhouse gases when burnt in an engine, two-thirds of the emissions produced by RDB occur during the farming of the crop through nitrous oxide, said the study.

 

The latest research comes as the EU Biofuel Directive attempts to increase the levels of biofuels in transport fuel to 5.75% by 2010 and 10% by 2020.

 

Although the directive may succeed in improving the region’s energy security, disputes over biofuels' contribution to the alleviation of global warming are likely to remain ongoing.

 

SRI Consulting is a leading business research service for the international chemical industry with analysts in the US, Zurich, Tokyo and Beijing.

By: Mark Watts
+44 20 8652 3214

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