We are talking about biodiesel made from animal fat, another alternative to the many we have heard in recent months.
This is the surprising fuel that could help reduce emissions. We are talking about biodiesel made from animal fat, another alternative to the many we have heard in recent months. With the electric car in the background, there are many voices that assure that synthetic fuels or biofuels will be the solution to the huge car park, a solution that this fuel also points to.
And the information comes from a study by Transport & Environment (T&E), who commissioned a study from Cerulogy, a consultancy specializing in clean and low-carbon fuel policy. It concluded that the use of animal fats to produce this biofuel has multiplied by 40 since 2006. In the same way, it affirms that the demand for biodiesel from animal fats will triple from now to 2030.
Likewise, the airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air are mentioned, which have signed important agreements to supply sustainable aviation fuels. Transport & Environment believes that a portion of this supply will be biodiesel from animal fat. Although, the study speaks of an indecent number of animals killed to complete a flight from Paris to New York, speaking of about 8,800 animals.
According to the T&E report, 46% of all biodiesel of animal origin is burned in Europe. So far the demand is low, but if the airlines and oil companies needed it, this demand would be too high. Just imagining an industry that raises animals for the sole purpose of slaughtering them and using their fat for fuel misses the point of sustainability.
The European authorities, as well as the American ones, speak of reducing meat consumption and advancing towards more sustainable livestock farming, so this idea would not make sense. Palm fat could be seen as an alternative, being cheaper and having similar properties. Although the same study suggests that CO2 emissions would be 1.7 times higher than those of conventional diesel.
The conclusion of the same study points to fuel from animal fat as one more solution, but not as the definitive solution. Yet another alternative that could coexist with the different proposed solutions.
