The Big Biofuels Blog

I read a piece last week, within the UK's Guardian (5th July 2007), pg 17

"Biofuel demand to push up food prices".

Figures quoted therein were for global food price inflation running at 6%.

I'm sat here in my lab thinking about some of this.

1. Is this "food price" fully decoupled from the oil price - now at the highest for 18 months?!? at near $78 per barrel sweet crude

2. All of these seem to indicate that ALL biofuels are pushing food prices up. This is pure fallacy.

I'm working with UCO (used cooking oil) - of which supply in my country is pretty much taken up now in large scale supply chains (food industry).

This has already been in and left the food chain by this point....

Cellulosic derived or MSW (municipal solid waste) derived - or Virgin biomass grown on set aside land or "Marginal land" additionally cannot be impacting the food chain.

The impact is from the diversion of soy, and other edible crops.

Are farmers "being intelligent" and going for markets where they can get better profit???!?! These are again market / trade issues........

3. What technological advances are happening right now in the market?

I'm chewing this over (excuse the pun)... as are many others it seems.

But I ask this - with the increase of biofuels market share - would people wish to be paying >$100 per barrel or the current level we see?

Because oil wells (cutting through all the ME government and multinationals PR / spin) are at a dubious levels... plus biofuels despite the contrary have (with exception of corn ethanol) are better in terms of CO2 impact than petro-fuels.

*apologies for the rushed splurge response - but the food v fuel debate needs challenging... than all this negative biofuel coverage currently around!

I read a piece last week, within the UK's Guardian (5th July 2007), pg 17

"Biofuel demand to push up food prices".

Figures quoted therein were for global food price inflation running at 6%.

I'm sat here in my lab thinking about some of this.

1. Is this "food price" fully decoupled from the oil price - now at the highest for 18 months?!? at near $78 per barrel sweet crude

2. All of these seem to indicate that ALL biofuels are pushing food prices up. This is pure fallacy.

I'm working with UCO (used cooking oil) - of which supply in my country is pretty much taken up now in large scale supply chains (food industry).

This has already been in and left the food chain by this point....

Cellulosic derived or MSW (municipal solid waste) derived - or Virgin biomass grown on set aside land or "Marginal land" additionally cannot be impacting the food chain.

The impact is from the diversion of soy, and other edible crops.

Are farmers "being intelligent" and going for markets where they can get better profit???!?! These are again market / trade issues........

3. What technological advances are happening right now in the market?

I'm chewing this over (excuse the pun)... as are many others it seems.

But I ask this - with the increase of biofuels market share - would people wish to be paying >$100 per barrel or the current level we see?

Because oil wells (cutting through all the ME government and multinationals PR / spin) are at a dubious levels... plus biofuels despite the contrary have (with exception of corn ethanol) are better in terms of CO2 impact than petro-fuels.

*apologies for the rushed splurge response - but the food v fuel debate needs challenging... than all this negative biofuel coverage currently around!