News

Biofuels still have a future, says expert

(14 January 2008)

Biofuels could contribute to the UK’s energy supply in the future according to a Durham University expert.

As reports warn of rising food prices and rainforest destruction from increased biofuel production, the EU’s biofuel targets come under scrutiny today in a major review by the Royal Society. Professor Keith Lindsey, expert in Plant Molecular Biology at Durham University, suggests that despite these problems there may still be a future for biofuels. Professor Lindsey said: “Biofuels have the potential to contribute to a sustainable energy supply in the future. However, it is most unlikely they will be a sole replacement for the declining supplies of fossil fuels, as the land required is inadequate. “Biofuels do have a reduced carbon footprint compared to fossil fuels but are not completely carbon-neutral as energy is required to produce them. “Starch and vegetable oils can be converted into ethanol and biodiesel and this need not compete directly with land for food crops as some 'biofuel crops' are not for food and can be grown on poor quality land. “It may also be possible to produce new crop varieties that accumulate starch and oil in parts of the plant that are not cropped for food such as leaf and stem material that is normally discarded. This requires more research, such as is being carried out at Durham. “The political temptation is to seize on new technologies and promote them as an immediate solution to a given problem, whether in agriculture, energy or medicine. “Often the solution requires further research and may be some years down the line. However, it would be wrong to assume that biofuels should play no part in the likely portfolio of technologies that will need to be developed.”