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I am sure all of
us would welcome the opportunity to cut carbon emissions in the
atmosphere, so I am pleased to be able to report that one company in East
Anglia is doing its bit to produce green energy in the form of recycled
cooking oil.
As a nation, we
use millions of litres of cooking oil for frying in our homes, hotels and
restaurant kitchens, most of which is thrown away either down the kitchen
sink or buried in landfill sites of local authorities. Such disposal is
costly and a waste of valuable material that can be recycled for essential
use.
Every week, 50 000
litres of used vegetable oil (corn, sunflower, sesame, rape seed),
collected from restaurants, cafeterias and factories throughout England,
are delivered to a small commercial unit at Shipdham in Norfolk. This
waste oil is mixed with chemicals (trans-esterified) which together
produce biodiesel and readily saleable by-products such as glycerine and
soap concentrate.
The biodiesel can
run any diesel engine without modification. Unlike fossil fuels, it
produces no particulates on combustion, thereby helping enormously all
those who suffer from asthma and other air-borne allergies. Furthermore,
it produces no more CO2 than what the plants consumed in the first place
in growing the seeds that yield the vegetable oil.
This biodiesel
offers complete biodegradability in 28 days – you can wash your hands in
it and even drink it. Its use in diesel powered vehicles will give you the
same mileage and engine performance as diesel," said Mr. Dennis
Thouless, the entrepreneur and owner of one of two companies in the UK
involved in such a venture.
Mr. Thouless’s
company, Global Commodities UK, produces 4.5 million litres of biodiesel
that can run any diesel truck, car or tractor. His biodiesel puts back the
lubricity lost in using ultra low-sulphur diesel from fossil sources.
Mr.Thouless’s biodiesel is neither subsidised by the EU or the UK
government and he has not received any grant from any source in
establishing his plant. He can sell all that he produces!
The UK government
excise duty on biodiesel is 25p a litre compared to zero in Germany,
Spain, Italy, Austria and about 3p in France! Clearly, this is hardly a
level playing field if the UK is serious about encouraging domestic and
foreign investment in generation of green energy that can create so many
jobs and offer substantial environmental benefit. Furthermore, such
diversification in energy production in the UK reduces our dependence on
fossil fuel imports from unstable countries in the Middle East.
The EU budget is
£60bn per annum and half of this is used in subsidising agricultural
production with most benefit accruing to continental farmers. It is time
that the UK took full advantage of the CAP reforms allowing farmers to
diversify their activity to enhance the environment. They should be
encouraged to grow more oil seed rape, especially on set aside land,
invest in machinery to extract oil and convert to biodiesel. It would
attract substantial investment in East Anglia benefiting far more
businesses than just the biofuel producers. Also, it would minimise the
adverse public perception of farmers profiting from EU subsidy for set
aside land.
Mr.Thouless has
put East Anglia on the UK map for green energy. Such an investment,
attracting possible EU funding, would be more viable if our Government
lowers the UK excise duty. Such a reduction would earn the Treasury
additional revenue both from biofuel producers and ancillary businesses
connected with the new source of energy. I intend to help Mr.Thouless and
any other East Anglian business to promote such investment in establishing
recycling plants for biofuels.
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