Taiwan mandates 1% biodiesel use

Effective July 15, Taiwan will mandate the blending of 1% biodiesel in all automotive diesel fuel sold in Taiwan to help reduce dependence on fossil fuels, as well as greenhouse gas emissions, the Bureau of Energy (BOE) said. The bureau is confident that the use of 1% biodiesel will not create any problems in engines, Yeh Huey-ching, BOE director-general, said, since the bureau had not received any complaints since 297 gas stations in Taoyuan County and Chiayi City and county began selling B1 (1% biodiesel) in July last year. The country already has five biodiesel producers with a combined capacity of 42,000 kiloliters per year. To avoid competition between food and fuel supplies, the bureau said edible waste oil would be used as the main feed stock source for biodiesel production. A policy of mandatory recycling of cooking oil for households and restaurant businesses is already in place. (July 10/11, 2008)