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<br>Climate modification: Growing doubts over chip fat biofuel<br> |
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<br>21 April 2021<br> |
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<br>remarks<br> |
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<br>354 Comments<br> |
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<br>New research questions the [environmental impact](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) of rising imports of used cooking oil (UCO) into the UK and Europe.<br> |
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<br>Chip fat and other oils are considered waste, so when they are used to make [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) it saves carbon emissions by displacing fossil oil.<br> |
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<br>But such is the demand across Europe that imports now [account](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) for more than half of the UCO that's made into fuel.<br> |
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<br>According to the study, external, there's no chance to show these imports are sustainable.<br> |
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<br>Without any screening of what's can be found in, experts think it is likewise ripe for scams.<br> |
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<br>Used cooking oil imports may [improve](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) logging<br> |
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<br>Consumers present 'growing danger' to [tropical](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) forests<br> |
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<br>Reducing emissions from transportation is showing to be among the hardest obstacles for federal governments all over the world.<br> |
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<br>They've encouraged making use of [biofuels](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) as an important ways of suppressing carbon from vehicles and trucks.<br> |
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<br>[Biofuels](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) are generally a blend of [fossil fuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) and oil made from plants or [vegetables](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm).<br> |
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<br>The truth that these crops can be re-grown and take in more CO2 implies they [counteract](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) the carbon discharged when used in engines.<br> |
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<br>Soy and palm oil were once extensively utilized as parts of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) but this practice has been commonly discredited because it [encourages](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) deforestation.<br> |
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<br>So for the last decade or so, using used cooking oil has actually expanded enormously as an alternative feedstock for fuel.<br> |
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<br>Chip fat and other waste oils have actually ended up being a key component of [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) with a reliable industry springing up across Europe to collect and process the product.<br> |
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<br>But with the amount of made from UCO increasing by around 40% every year given that 2014, there merely isn't enough chip fat to walk around.<br> |
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<br>According to a report from the [campaign](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) group Transport & Environment, external, [majority](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) of the UCO utilized in Europe is imported.<br> |
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<br>Their [study recommends](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) this is extremely bothersome when it pertains to effects on the environment.<br> |
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<br>While UCO is considered a waste material in the UK, in China, Indonesia and Malaysia it has actually long been utilized to [feed animals](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608). The report raises the concern of what individuals in these nations are changing the UCO with, when it is exported.<br> |
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<br>In 2019, Malaysia exported 90 million litres of UCO to the UK and Ireland. [Figures](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) for their exports to other European nations aren't available but the circulation of UCO is likely to be similar.<br> |
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<br>With a [population](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) of around 33 million, that's close to 3 litres per head of utilized oil that's collected and exported to the UK and Ireland alone.<br> |
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<br>By contrast, Thailand, which has a population of 70 million people, handled to gather around 5 million litres of UCO in 2019.<br> |
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<br>"Because we are purchasing it, they have actually less used cooking oil to utilize on the things that they were formerly using it for," stated Greg Archer with Transport & Environment.<br> |
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<br>"And they're just buying more virgin oil and that virgin oil is mainly palm oil, since that's the least expensive oil offered.<br> |
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<br>"So indirectly, we're simply encouraging more deforestation in Southeast Asia."<br> |
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<br>Another significant problem with UCO is the suspicion of fraud.<br> |
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<br>Because of demand from Europe, the cost of UCO is often greater than palm oil. The worry is that some deceitful traders are just watering down deliveries of UCO with palm.<br> |
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<br>As oils of various types are mixed in bulk for transportation, and no testing of the products is performed, some experts think fraud is swarming.<br> |
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<br>The suggestion of scams anywhere along the chain of supply is declined by the European Waste-to-Advanced Biofuels Association (EWABA), who state there are robust certification schemes in place.<br> |
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<br>"It is extensively understood that the European Commission has actually taken relevant steps to completely suppress unsound market practices in [biofuel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) markets," stated Angel Alberdi, EWABA's secretary general.<br> |
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<br>He says a new database being developed by the EU will ensure that trading, accreditation and sustainability data on all bio-liquids will need to be registered.<br> |
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<br>"The mix of revised accreditation plans and the [pan-EU track](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) and trace database will guarantee that no sustainability issues arise in the entire biofuels and bio-liquids supply chain," he informed BBC News.<br> |
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<br>Others in the field are concerned that the database idea, which was first mooted in 2018, might not work in stemming believed scams.<br> |
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<br>The report from Transport & Environment mentions that with shipping and air travel looking to decarbonise by utilizing biofuels, need for UCO might double over the next decade.<br> |
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<br>"Rising the demand beyond sustainable supply levels would increase these issues, and threats of utilizing 'fake' UCO, potentially resulting in indirect effects such as logging."<br> |
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<br>Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc, external.<br> |
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<br>Related subjects<br> |
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<br>COP26<br> |
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<br>Paris environment agreement<br> |
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<br>Climate<br> |
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