BBC Climate and Science
AlmiThe UK government is investigating a rapidly growing “green fuel” called HVO Diesel, which is amidst the claims of significant fraud, the BBC has learned.
HVO is popular as a rapid transport fuel and is popular for giving power to concert and its backcons say that it can curb carbon emissions up to 90% as it can be made from waste materials such as cooking oil.
But the industry whistleblower told the BBC that they believe that these materials have not been ruined in large quantities, but are virgin palm oils, which are being fraudulently prepared.
And the data analyzed by the BBC and shared with the Department of UK for the transport cast, one of the major ingredients in HVO is more doubtful, a material called Palm Mud waste.
Europe used this waste more in HVO and other biofuels in 2023, as it is possible for the production of the world.
In response to the BBC’s findings, the Transport Department stated that they “raise the concerns seriously and are working with stakeholders and international partners to gather further information”.
HVO, or hydrotricted vegetable oil, is said to be something of wonder-fuel in recent years because it can be used as a 100% alternative to reduce diesel-reducing planetary warming emissions.
According to provisional government data, UK consumption from 8 million liters in 2019 to about 699 million liters in 2024.
Its green credibility depends a lot on the assumption that it is made up of waste sources, especially by the production of cooking oil or palm oil, waste mud is used.
But the industry whistle-blowers have told the BBC that they believe that virgin palm oil and other non-waste materials are being used frequently.
This will be bad news for the planet, as Virgin Palm Oil is linked to tropical forest harvesting, which endanger the endangered species such as climate change and orang-uutons.
This palm oil “floods the market like cancer,” a large European biofuel manufacturer told the BBC.
He said that to stay in business, he would have to go with the hypocrisy that they are using waste materials.
Another whistle-blower, a former businessman of these biofuels, also anonymity, recently gave the BBC his own account of a case, which was allegedly dealing with waste products.
“I am confident that what I bought was many cargo of virgin palm oil that is wrongly classified as palm oil mud,” he said.
“I called one of the board members and told them about the situation, and then I was told that they did not want to do anything about it, because the evidence would burn.”
Along with this testimony, the data compiled by the campaign group transport and environment and the data analyzed by the BBC shows that more palm mud waste is being used for transport biofuels compared to the world, which is probably able to produce.
Statistics suggest that the UK and the European Union used about two million tonnes of palm mud mud in 2023 for HVO and other biofuels, which was based on the Eurostate and UK Department for transport figures.
The imports of the European Union of this mud have moved further in 2024, according to the Elementary United Nations trade data, although the UK has promoted the trend.
But the data analyzed by the BBC, which is based on the well -established United Nations and industry figures, suggest that the world can only produce more than one million tonnes of palm mud waste.
According to researchers and industry data, this mismatch is being used to fulfill the rapid growth of biofuels such as virgin palm oils such as virgin palm oil.
“This is a very easy game,” Dr. Christian Bikart said, a German farmer and editor with experience in biofuels, who believe that most of HVOs made with these waste products are “fake”.
He told BBC News, “Chemically, mud and pure palm oil is exactly the same because they come from the same plant, and also from the same production features in Indonesia,” he told BBC News.
“There is no paper that proves (fraud), there is no paper at all, but the figures tell a clear story.”
Underlining claims of stability of biofuels is an independent system of certification where producers have to show where they get their raw materials.
It is mainly administered by a company called ISCC, and in Europe to ensure a long -standing reputation that the waste materials turned into fuel, actually come from garbage, working with national authorities.
But in Indonesia, Malaysia and China, three of the three main sources of raw components claim to be ruined for HVOs, supervision is very difficult.
Dr. Christian Bikart said, “ISCC is not allowed only to send anyone to China.”
“They have to trust certification companies in China to check that everything is fine, but China does not allow any inspectors from outside.”
This concern is echoed by many other groups contacted by the BBC.
For example, construction giants are a policy of not using fuel, citing concerns of stability, stability.
“We are just able to achieve any level of visibility on the supply chain of HVO,” told by Balfor Beatty’s Gillroy Joe Gillroy, which will give us the level of assurance that it is actually a permanent product. “
The European waste-based and advanced biofuels association represents major biofuel manufacturers in the European Union and the UK.
In a statement, he said that “is a major certification verification issue that needs to be addressed as a priority case”, saying that “ISCC should do much to ensure that the Gargish Union biodiesel really claims to be”.
In the light of increasing fraud allegations, Irish authorities have recently banned encouragement for pam waste fuel.
The BBC also understands that the European Union is proposing a ban on ISCC certification of biofuels of waste for two-and-a-half years, although it is expected to say that it is not known about direct violations of renewable goals.
Then it will depend on individual member countries to accept the certificate what to do.
In response, ISCC stated that it was “more than the surprise” from the European Union move, saying that it was “one of the strict and effective measures to ensure the prevention of integrity and fraud in the market over the years”.
“This remedy would be a serious shock for the entire market for waste-based biofuels,” it said.
