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A tree-powered car in the garage?

Flexi-fuelled cars can run on high levels of biofuel.

Photo courtesy of the Energy Efficiency and
Conservation Authority.

We may soon be filling our cars from fuel derived from tallow and, even further in the future, fuel sourced from trees and algae. A biofuels sales obligation, announced in February, will mean that most fuel sold will soon contain some biofuels.

The biofuels sales obligation will come into effect in April 2008. It will require oil companies’ annual fuel sales to contain 3.4 per cent biofuel by 2012. These levels are set to reflect the quantity of biofuel feedstock currently estimated to be available in New Zealand. An examples of a biofuel feedstock is woody biomass from trees.

According to Climate Change Minister, David Parker, the sales obligation will reduce greenhouse gases by more than a million tonnes between 2008 and 2012. This is because of the carbon dioxide absorbed by the tree or plant during its growing life.

"Using biofuels will help us address climate change. They will also help reduce harmful pollution in our air,” said Parker.

Around half of New Zealand’s carbon dioxide emissions are from transport. Biofuels are one of several proposals for a sustainable energy future laid out in the draft New Zealand Energy Strategy and the draft New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy.

Government is currently holding discussions with companies to explore how it can support more development of New Zealand-based biofuels, particularly second generation biofuels produced from trees, certain grasses, or algae growing on sewage ponds.

Biofuels have received a mixed response from environmentalists worldwide. There is concern around the clearing of tropical rainforests for biofuel crops such as palm oil. Another issue is the use of good agricultural land for fuel rather than food production.

However, New Zealand has large areas of land that are potential sources of sustainable woody biomass and we are unlikely to use higher value food producing land for biofuel production.

For more information about biofuels contact David Weinstein on (04) 439 7487 or email david.weinstein@mfe.govt.nz

First generation biofuels are:

  • bioethanol (a substitute for petrol) from whey (from dairy production) or corn

  • biodiesel (a substitute for diesel) from tallow (a by-product of the meat industry).

Second generation biofuels are:

  • bioethanol from woody biomass (trees and certain grasses)

  • biodiesel from algae growing on sewage ponds.

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