Biofuels from plants are equivalent to fossil fuels

Researchers at the University of Leicester, UK, found that CO2 emissions in oil palm plantations are twice as much as previously thought.

Planting oil palm trees (contributing to the release of carbon, which is trapped in peat from thousands or even millions of years), will actually increase CO2 emissions equivalent to petroleum fuels. When produced in this way, biofuels do not represent a sustainable fuel source.

"A tropical forest stores a lot of carbon in its biomass, and to grow oil palm trees, people have to deforest, replace it with oil palm trees, which are less likely to be kept. water " , according to Ross Morrison, one of the authors of this study.

"So when the rainforests are gone, the huge amount of carbon (which is stored under the layers of submerged peat) will be released into the atmosphere. Peat is only really stable when flooded all the time. (tropical forests have a water-holding effect) Once a drought (due to deforestation) occurs, allowing oxygen to enter peat and this causes the microbial decomposition process very quickly. and release huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere ".

Biofuels (when burned) are thought to have a low greenhouse gas emissions, (previously calculated: only 50 tons of CO2 per year for every hectare of palm trees oil).

Currently, the researchers conclude that: CO2 emissions of about 86 tons per year for every hectare of oil palm trees are a more accurate figure. According to Europe's short-term (20-year) emissions assessment, this number increases to 106 tons of CO2 per year for each hectare of oil palm trees.

"This study shows that: previously, the estimated CO ₂ emissions were derived from a very limited number of scientific studies, and most of the results of this study were evaluated. low actual scale of CO ₂ emissions from palm oil industry " , according to Morrison.

"Forecast of an increase in the number of oil palm plantations on peat, with a total area of ​​about 2.5 Mha by 2020, in western Indonesia alone, equivalent to the United Kingdom's arable land area. " , according to Dr. Sue Page, head of the Department of Natural Geography, Leicester University, UK.

Production of biofuels from other plants such as rapeseed and soybeans also contributes to high CO ₂ emissions. Because, this indirectly leads to growth in the palm oil industry to meet the demand for cooking oil.

However, use: Bio-ethanol or biodiesel from by-products of cooking oil, on the other hand, can still help reduce CO ₂ emissions.

This result is important for: European Union policy on climate and renewable energy sources, according to researchers.

In addition, oil palm plantations on tropical peatlands: will emit huge amounts of CO ₂ ; will disappear most of the rainforest area and destroy biodiversity, leading to the disappearance of rare and endangered animals such as the Sumatran tiger and orangutans.

This research has been accepted and funded by the International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT), a group of international experts representing the world's leading vehicle manufacturers.