Researcher: Biodiesel No Help

Daniela Russi, a researcher at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona is putting more fuel on the biofuel debate by stating that the European Union shouldn't bother meeting goals for biofuel production.

Russi says that at best biodiesel is carbon neutral because of the petrochemicals used in growing the raw materials and the fuel used in manufacturing. She also says Europe doesn't have enough available farm land to meet its goal of 5.75 percent use of biofuels for transportation by 2010 without putting pressure on the food market. But isn't carbon neutral better than adding carbon from fossil fuels?

She pulls no punches in her press release:

Summing up, biodiesel cannot contribute to the solution of the problems related to the high dependency of our economy on fossil fuels. The idea that biodiesel could be a solution for the energy crisis is not only false, but also dangerous.

However, she does leave room for biomass or waste vegetable oil:

Obviously, these considerations do not apply to used oil or agricultural residue recycling... which may be good strategies, instead.

So another expert gives her opinion, but for every biodiesel doubter, there is one or more scientist who touts biodiesel's environmental and national security benefits. The only thing agree upon is biomass as a future solution.

Source: Eurekalert