Add Climate Change: Growing Doubts Over Chip Fat Biofuel
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<br>Climate change: Growing doubts over chip fat [biofuel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price)<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 concerns the ecological impact of rising imports of utilized 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 utilized to make [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) it conserves carbon emissions by [displacing fossil](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) oil.<br>
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<br>But such is the demand across Europe that [imports](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) now [account](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for majority of the UCO that's made into fuel.<br>
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<br>According to the study, external, there's no other way to show these imports are sustainable.<br>
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<br>With no screening of what's coming in, professionals think it is also ripe for fraud.<br>
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<br>Used cooking oil imports may boost deforestation<br>
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<br>Consumers posture 'growing threat' to [tropical](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) forests<br>
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<br>Reducing emissions from [transportation](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) is showing to be one of the most difficult challenges for [governments](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) all over the world.<br>
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<br>They've encouraged the use of biofuels as an [essential](https://www.abnnewswire.net/companies/en/31347/%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%97-Mission-NewEnergy-%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%94.html/4) ways of [suppressing carbon](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) from cars and trucks.<br>
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<br>[Biofuels](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) are usually a blend of fossil fuel and oil made from plants or vegetables.<br>
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<br>The fact that these crops can be re-grown and soak up more CO2 [implies](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) they counteract the carbon released when used in engines.<br>
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<br>Soy and palm oil were as soon as widely used as elements of [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) but this practice has actually been extensively discredited due to the fact that it motivates logging.<br>
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<br>So for the last decade or so, using utilized cooking oil has expanded enormously as an alternative feedstock for fuel.<br>
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<br>Chip fat and other waste oils have become a [crucial element](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) of [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) with a reliable market springing up across Europe to collect and process the item.<br>
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<br>But with the amount of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) made from UCO increasing by around 40% every year because 2014, there simply isn't enough chip fat to walk around.<br>
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<br>According to a report from the project group Transport & Environment, external, majority of the UCO used in Europe is imported.<br>
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<br>Their study recommends this is extremely bothersome when it comes 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](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) it has long been used to feed animals. The report raises the question of what people in these nations are replacing 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 for their to other European countries aren't offered but the [circulation](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) of UCO is likely to be comparable.<br>
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<br>With a population of around 33 million, that's close to 3 litres per head of used oil that's collected and exported to the UK and Ireland alone.<br>
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<br>By comparison, Thailand, which has a population of 70 million individuals, managed to collect around five million litres of UCO in 2019.<br>
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<br>"Because we are buying it, they have actually less used cooking oil to use on the important things that they were previously utilizing it for," stated Greg Archer with Transport & Environment.<br>
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<br>"And they're just buying more virgin oil which virgin oil is mainly palm oil, because that's the cheapest oil readily available.<br>
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<br>"So indirectly, we're just encouraging more deforestation in Southeast Asia."<br>
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<br>Another major problem with UCO is the suspicion of fraud.<br>
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<br>Because of need from Europe, the rate of UCO is frequently higher than palm oil. The worry is that some unethical traders are merely watering down deliveries of UCO with palm.<br>
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<br>As oils of different types are mixed in bulk for transportation, and no screening of the materials is performed, some professionals believe scams is rife.<br>
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<br>The idea of fraud 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 widely understood that the European Commission has taken appropriate steps to totally curb unsound [market practices](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) in [biofuel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) markets," said Angel Alberdi, EWABA's secretary general.<br>
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<br>He says a new database being developed by the EU will guarantee 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 certification schemes and the pan-EU track and trace database will guarantee that no sustainability issues develop in the whole biofuels and [bio-liquids supply](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) chain," he told BBC News.<br>
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<br>Others in the field are concerned that the database idea, which was very first mooted in 2018, may not be reliable in stemming presumed fraud.<br>
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<br>The report from Transport & Environment points out that with shipping and aviation looking to decarbonise by utilizing biofuels, need for UCO might double over the next years.<br>
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<br>"Rising the demand beyond sustainable supply levels would increase these concerns, and dangers of using 'fake' UCO, possibly 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 climate contract<br>
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<br>Climate<br>
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