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7. Local Biofuel growth stalled

The UK’s largest Biofuels processing plant on Teeside in northeast England was has been officially opened. It will eventually have the capacity to produce at least 250,000 tonnes of biodiesel each year from vegetable oils. This is just one of several large biofuel refinery operations being set up around the country, often using imported feedstock. But local level UK production of biofuel feedstock is still limited. A report for the regional industry cluster group NorthEast Biofuels on “Small-scale and on-farm production of biodiesel and vegetable oil fuels” notes that many farmers and other entrepreneurs are interested in the prospects for crushing oilseed and utilising vegetable oil-based biofuels at a small scale, to blend into or substitute for petroleum diesel. At current prices, this looks increasingly economically attractive, quite apart from the environmental advantages of a low-sulphur low-carbon high-lubricity fuel.

However, the report says that many potential small-scale producers are uncertain about what regulatory or technical steps they may need to take in order to develop a business. While recognising that this is an emerging 21st-century “cottage industry”, the report concludes that many will struggle to meet the European biodiesel standard (EN14214) as well the requirements of British licensing and regulatory authorities (HM Revenue and Customs, Environment Agency, Healthand Safety Executive and others). This is most likely to remain a “hobby” activity under current market conditions, although improved profit margins from used cooking oil feedstock may allow a limited number of niche biodiesel producers.

*The report by Jonathon Scurlock, is downloadable as a Word file from the NorthEast Biofuels web site: http://www.northeastbiofuels.com/presentations/
NEB_smallscale_final%20August%2006.doc

Also see: http://www.northeastbiofuels.com/presentations/presentations_home.htm

Chocpower

Wastes from the production of chocolate and other foods could be converted to hydrogen via a fermentation process using E. coli bacteria, says the Bioscience Dept. at Birmingham University.