Transport and Environment NGO has released a study that expresses concern over the significant pressure on supplies of animal fat as its use in biodiesel has grown fortyfold since 2006.
According to the study, Europe’s growing use of animal fats to power its cars, planes and ships is becoming increasingly unsustainable. Furthermore, the Fit for 55 process is expected to expand this market opportunity.
Fuels supplied to maritime and aviation applications will be brought fully within EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED) so that the 1.7% cap applies to a larger total fuel pool, while the proposals would make feedstocks eligible to be used to meet new complementary targets for aviation and maritime fuels under REFuelEU Aviation and FuelEUMaritime.
If animal fats are eligible in aviation and maritime fuel use to meet REFuelEU Aviation and FuelEUMaritime targets, and they remain a more attractive option than food-oils for on-road biofuel targets, pressure on other uses will continue to intensify.
… said Transport and Environment
The FuelEUMaritime proposal states that “sustainable maritime fuels produced from feedstock are essential” and anticipates 800 thousand tons of demand for lipids by 2030. The impact assessments on both REFuelEU Aviation and FuelEUMaritime anticipate that lipids will be rapidly overtaken as biofuel feedstock by cellulosic biomass resources, but neither proposal includes a mechanism that would guarantee this outcome, the report highlights.
It turns out pigs will fly. For years we’ve been burning animal fats in cars without drivers knowing. Now they will be fuelling your next flight.
… said Barbara Smailagic, biofuels expert at T&E
The report warned that in the event that cellulosic biofuel development and the development of e-fuels lag the pace foreseen by the European Commission in Fit for 55, there will be enormous pressure to use Used Cooking Oil (UCO) and animal fats to comply with the aviation and maritime targets.
According to the study, the reality of the EU’s 2030 alternative fuel mix, and the contribution of animal fats and used cooking oil to that mix, will in the end be dependent on the interaction of the finalised policies themselves, the way that Member States implement those policies, and the relative speed of development of key technologies such as electric drive vehicles, advanced biofuels and e-fuels.
For now, the report claimed, double counting remains a strong incentive for the use of resources, and though the Fit for 55 package proposes to remove the double counting incentive this will likely be offset by increased ambition for total biofuel supply and the introduction of the new aviation and maritime policies.
The competing uses for animal fats lay bare the challenge of scaling up waste biofuels production. Animal fats don’t grow on trees. Pet food suppliers, for example, will now have to reduce the sustainability of their products by using palm oil instead.
… said Barbara Smailagic
She also pointed out that as seen with used cooking oil, this also increases the risk of fraud. The potential mislabelling of animal fats suggests fraud could be taking place on an industrial scale.
