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Bio-fuel, sustainable fuel from waste recycling. Here is Europe’s strategy
Dino Collazzo
The use of bio-fuels in the transport sector keeps growing at a steady pace. Meanwhile, European institutions are working to find an agreement on the Commission's proposal to reform the Renewable Energy Directive (Red). At the same time, multinationals and start-ups are investing in innovation and technology to create "fossil free" fuels.
In the near future, our cars might well be powered by fuels obtained from the waste we produce each day. The new age of Bio-fuels will depend much on the recycling process of waste oils, on waste generated by the manufacturing sector and even on ELTs. Much of the waste that ends up in the garbage could, through a specific industrial process, return in the form of electricity and transport fuel. The sustainable transformation of waste into fuel - nowadays bio-fuels are usually generated from processing food crops (especially vegetable oils), with deforestation as a consequence - would create the perfect environment to develop a circular economy, a target the European Community intends to achieve by 2030, thus increasing the amount of energy from renewable sources to be allocated to the transport sector. Currently, the objective set by the Renewable Energy Directive (Red), is 10% by 2020. A challenge in which bio-fuels will play an increasingly important role.
Not all bio-fuels, however, seem to be in the position to contribute to this result. In fact, Community institutions have been working for some time now to find an agreement on the Commission's proposal to reform the Renewable Energy Directive (Red). And one of the items discussed is precisely the use of bio-fuels in transport. Talks are mainly focusing on the possibility of forgoing bio-fuels produced from edible raw materials, favouring a new generation of alternative fuels with a lower environmental impact. The new rules, responsible for guiding EU energy policies until 2030, propose the obligation for producers to supply or mix fossil fuels with 6.8% of new bio-fuels and renewable electricity. Furthermore, if the directive is approved, it would also set a limit for bio-fuels of plant origin, bringing the percentage down from 7 to 3.8.
In the European Union, according to the latest Eurostat data, bio-fuels (solid, liquid and gaseous) make up 7.6% of the total fuel used in the transport sector, with liquid bio-fuels taking the lion’s share followed by bio-fuels in a gaseous form. Their production takes place through biomass processing, which is then mixed with fossil fuel derivatives: the most common are biodiesel (80.6%), bio-ethanol (18.4%) and biogas (1% ). The main European bio-fuel producers are Germany, France, Spain and Italy. Together these four countries account for more than 50% of the total production. The same countries, though, happen to be also the largest consumers.
Note: the following chart contains the words in Italian and their translations:
Consumo lordo di energia = Gross Energy consumption
Produzione = Production
Percentuale = Percentage
Observing the data, we notice, alongside a reduction in energy consumption in the transport sector – due in part to more efficient engines - a growth in the use of bio-fuels. However, numbers alone can hardly describe this increase. In fact, what we really need to understand is how this growth will evolve, how will innovative technologies develop and what business prospects can we expect for the whole sector. Meanwhile, some have already started investing in the field of bio-fuels. For some time now several companies, start-ups and multinationals, are experimenting with new processing methods able to transform waste into raw materials. Bio-refineries are being built in which the wet part of organic waste, through a process of thermal liquefaction, is transformed into bio-oil, to be used as fuel; others have built used oil regeneration plants, and some have even developed a method to produce a fuel mixture by processing End-of-Life tires.
Not all bio-fuels, however, seem to be in the position to contribute to this result. In fact, Community institutions have been working for some time now to find an agreement on the Commission's proposal to reform the Renewable Energy Directive (Red). And one of the items discussed is precisely the use of bio-fuels in transport. Talks are mainly focusing on the possibility of forgoing bio-fuels produced from edible raw materials, favouring a new generation of alternative fuels with a lower environmental impact. The new rules, responsible for guiding EU energy policies until 2030, propose the obligation for producers to supply or mix fossil fuels with 6.8% of new bio-fuels and renewable electricity. Furthermore, if the directive is approved, it would also set a limit for bio-fuels of plant origin, bringing the percentage down from 7 to 3.8.
In the European Union, according to the latest Eurostat data, bio-fuels (solid, liquid and gaseous) make up 7.6% of the total fuel used in the transport sector, with liquid bio-fuels taking the lion’s share followed by bio-fuels in a gaseous form. Their production takes place through biomass processing, which is then mixed with fossil fuel derivatives: the most common are biodiesel (80.6%), bio-ethanol (18.4%) and biogas (1% ). The main European bio-fuel producers are Germany, France, Spain and Italy. Together these four countries account for more than 50% of the total production. The same countries, though, happen to be also the largest consumers.
Note: the following chart contains the words in Italian and their translations:
Consumo lordo di energia = Gross Energy consumption
Produzione = Production
Percentuale = Percentage
Observing the data, we notice, alongside a reduction in energy consumption in the transport sector – due in part to more efficient engines - a growth in the use of bio-fuels. However, numbers alone can hardly describe this increase. In fact, what we really need to understand is how this growth will evolve, how will innovative technologies develop and what business prospects can we expect for the whole sector. Meanwhile, some have already started investing in the field of bio-fuels. For some time now several companies, start-ups and multinationals, are experimenting with new processing methods able to transform waste into raw materials. Bio-refineries are being built in which the wet part of organic waste, through a process of thermal liquefaction, is transformed into bio-oil, to be used as fuel; others have built used oil regeneration plants, and some have even developed a method to produce a fuel mixture by processing End-of-Life tires.
