100 percent chip fat in the car tank is permitted
In future, drivers in Germany will also be able to fill up with diesel made from 100 percent used cooking oils such as chip fat. The so-called paraffinic diesel fuels are now also approved as pure fuel, the Federal Ministry for the Environment announced following a cabinet decision. These are produced, for example, from waste materials and vegetable oils or on the basis of natural gas.
They can already be blended with conventional diesel. According to the amended ordinance, however, they may now also be offered in 100 percent concentration. "In order to prevent damage to vehicles due to incorrect refueling, the new regulation obliges filling station operators to provide consumers with standardized information," the ministry said. At the same time, the previous promotion of paraffinic diesel fuels from fossil sources is to be ended in order to avoid climate-damaging incentives.
The Association of the German Biofuels Industry (VDB) welcomed this approval. "With this decision, the federal government is paving the way for more climate protection in transport," said Elmar Baumann, Managing Director of the VDB. Biodiesel emits 70 to 90 percent less CO2 than fossil diesel.
Karsten Schulze, Technical President of the ADAC automobile club, said: "The climate-friendly further development of fuels for existing vehicles is an important step towards achieving climate protection targets." Manufacturers are now called upon to design new vehicles for the use of cooking oil diesel and to check the compatibility of older models.
Baumann from the VDB said: "In 2030 and the years after, there will still be over 30 million cars with combustion engines on German roads." "Their greenhouse gas emissions can only be reduced with low-CO2 fuels."
Ministry: volume cannot be increased
FDP politician Judith Skudelny was pleased with the decision. "It is very clear: we want these 100 percent sustainable fuels," she told the German Press Agency. "It definitely has the potential to make transport climate-neutral in the existing fleet too."
The extent to which drivers can fill up with fuel made from chip fat across the board is controversial. The ministry warned that there is only a limited amount. Used cooking oils - for example from the catering industry - are already being used in full as an admixture in traffic, said a spokesperson. This quantity could not be increased.
Skudelny, on the other hand, referred to the global market. "Of course, it would be nice if we could use our own fats for this, but there are large international refineries."
- The usage of chip fat as a raw material to produce paraffinic diesel fuel, which reduces CO2 emissions by 70 to 90%, has been approved by the Federal Ministry for the Environment.
- Despite the approval, the volume of diesel fuel made from used cooking oils, such as chip fat, that can be used is limited due to the existing supply.
- The transition towards using more sustainable fuels, including those made from raw materials like chip fat, is crucial for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of the over 30 million cars with combustion engines still on German roads by 2030.
Source: www.dpa.com
