Biofuels used for vehicles often contain a proportion of animal fat. There is such a high demand for animal fats that there is almost no waste left in slaughterhouses.
An increasing number of cars and aircraft run on biofuels, which have lower carbon emissions than conventional fuels. Biofuels are becoming increasingly popular and use animal waste in addition to plant ingredients from sugar beet or rapeseed.
According to a study by Transport & Environment (T&E), a sustainable transport company based in Brussels, Belgium, the use of animal fat has doubled in the last decade. For example, a flight from Paris to New York would require around 8,800 pig by-products, writes agrarheute.com. The exact proportion of animal fat in aviation biofuels is not published.
The animals are not slaughtered specifically. The raw material comes from slaughterhouses as by-products or waste. The fat has long been used in cosmetics, soap and animal feed production, and now also in the biofuels industry. EU lawmakers are promoting their use as a means of reducing carbon emissions. Major airlines such as Ryanair are increasingly opting for more sustainable fuels, which has led to a perceived lack of animal fats.
Until now, biofuels have been made from category 1 and 2 animal fats. They are not suitable for consumption or for the production of human-related products. Category 3 fats are of higher quality and there is no risk of transmission of infections. According to T&E, it is possible that animal fat processors may deliberately divert Category 3 feedstock into biofuel production to meet supply targets, but that there will be a shortage in other production chains.
Source: Manoukis