Environment

Biofuels and Climate Benefits

Fossil fuels contribute to climate change.
Governments, companies and especially consumers want environmental solutions.
Therefore, the use of biofuels is growing rapidly worldwide.

 

 Because of the high growth rate in consumption, biofuels can no longer be considered as a climate neutral product only.

The combustion of biofuels is climate neutral. Furthermore, the CO2 emission from burning is part of the neutral CO2 cycle and therefore does not contribute to an increase of the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.
The production of biofuels, however, contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions.

In general, the main sources of emissions from the production of biofuels are:

1. Indirect Land Use Changes (ILUC)
2. Use of chemical fertilizers (for emissions NOx)
3. Transport of raw materials and its product
4. Use of fossil fuels in the production of biofuels

Therefore, biofuels can only be defined as sustainable if a total life cycle analysis is applied, in which the combined emissions from production and combustion have a reduced greenhouse gas emission compared to fossil fuels.

 

Traceability of biofuels

Traceable biofuels are fuels whose feedstock can be traced back to the areas it was harvested from. With this knowledge, the area of cultivation and origin of the product can always be guaranteed. The origin of the raw material gives us a first indication of the climate benefit.

If there is lack of traceability with regard to the origin of the product, one cannot guarantee against adverse changes in land use. Traceability right back to the farm also facilitates required documentation on the amount of emissions associated with the production of the feedstock.

 

Biofuels in Norway

The mandatory biofuel blend target for conventional fuels in Norway is currently 3,5 %. Biodiesel is the most commonly used biofuel in Norway so far. The blending product is a B7.

Due to the climatic conditions in Scandinavia the Biodiesel is mainly produced form rapeseed/canola because they provide by far the best cold flow properties (CFPP).

Rapeseed is grown mainly in Germany on set-a-side-areas where farmers no longer are allowed to produce food due to overproduction. Rapeseed also grows in Eastern Europe, where agriculture is developing rapidly. The seeds are pressed locally and the oil is transported in large volumes by boat.

Consequently, we can conclude that biodiesel used in Norway and Scandinavia have a good climate benefit compared to fossil diesel. According to sustainability criterias and standard values of the EU and KLIF the climate benefits of biodiesel in Norway and Sweden is at 50% or more.

With a climate benefit of 50% for biodiesel, a mandatory blend target of 5% could provide an emission reduction of at least 140 000 tons.

 

Biodiesel from Uniol in the future

Sustainability is an important issue for Uniol.

Therefore, Uniol will consistently invest in new technlology in order to increase the sustainability of its biodiesel.

With the implementation of new innovative technologies, Uniol will be positioned to receive waste materials like used cooking oil or even oil deriving from animal fat.

Furthermore, Uniol could also be among the first companies to produce biodiesel based on raw materials such as algae and jatropha.

As a consequence, the biodiesel produced at Uniol can reach a sustainability of up to 90%.