The government should consider the use of biodiesel fuel as a helpful way of reducing polluting emissions from trucks and buses, members from a US soybean association and other interested parties said yesterday.
"Biodiesel fuel is definitely one of the important alternative sources of energy because it can meet future demand in an environmentally friendly and safe way," said Anthony Thang (湯紹聯), country director of the American Soybean Association's Taiwan office.
The comments were made at a press conference yesterday hosted by The American Soybean Association, the Taiwan Vegetable Oil Refining Industry Association and Yu-yi Motor Company. Governor Mike Johanns, of Nebraska, a major soy producing state, also attended the meeting.
Biodiesel is a diesel fuel substitute produced from renewable sources such as vegetable oils, animal fats, and recycled edible oils. Biodiesel has become a welcome source of renewable energy in developed countries, including the US, Japan, Germany and other European countries.
In Germany, the growth rate of biodiesel use is increasing by 30 percent annually, Thang said.
Biodiesel's physical and chemical properties as it relates to operation of diesel engines are similar to petroleum-based diesel fuel. It can be used in its pure form, or blended with petroleum diesel for use in diesel engines.
Currently, Taiwanese scientists are trying to study the performance of B20, a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel fuel. Taiwanese scientists have proved that using B20 as fuel could reduce at least 40 percent of emissions from vehicles powered by traditional diesel engines.
Thang said, however, current costs of biodiesel in Taiwan, NT$38 per liter, is about double that of traditional diesel fuel.
"If the government can help promote the mass-production of biodiesel fuel, the cost could be lowered to at least NT$16 per liter. Then, biodiesel would be extremely competitive," Thang said, adding that the government should have the vision to adopt cleaner fuel.
Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) officials told the Taipei Times yesterday that a lack of clarity in plans aimed at using renewable energy, including biodiesel, carried out by the Energy Commission under the Ministry of Economic Affairs hampered promotion of such cleaner energy solutions.
What the commission has done is to encourage biodiesel-related research and development studies and the building of small experimental factories to produce the fuel.
A research team at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is currently working on biodiesel's performance in cutting down vehicle emission.
In addition, EPA officials said that the import/export or free trade of biodiesel was still uncertain due to the delay in making petroleum-related laws at the Legislative Yuan.
EPA officials argued that the delay was because of contrasting interests.
Major sellers of petroleum, both Formosa Petrochemical Corporation (
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