However, the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55% until 2030 can only be realistically achieved if drastic emission reductions are reached in the coming years, especially in the \u201cproblem area\u201d of the transport sector. Since the Paris Climate Agreement, Europe has not managed to reduce GHG emissions in this field. It remains therefore increasingly important to make the most effective and efficient switch to climate-neutral propulsion and fuel systems in the individual transport sectors. In the field of passenger cars and light-duty vehicles, electrification will increasingly gain a foothold, assuming, of course, that sufficient sustainable electricity is available and that the charging infrastructure is expanded accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects around 230 million cars to be equipped with e-motors by 2030, but this would only account for around 12% of the global vehicle fleet. A significant amount of the transport sector will still rely on internal combustion engine technology at that time. Furthermore, the electrification of heavy goods transport \u2013 either in the form of trucks or also in maritime transport \u2013 is proven to be far more difficult. In these areas, the use of biofuels, preferably based on waste feedstock, represents the most sustainable and economical interim solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Air traffic is a special case in the transport sector in terms of defossilization. With approximately 12%, it generates a smaller share of GHG emissions compared to other transport sectors, but electrification in this area is not expected in the near future. With the proposal for a separate regulation for the promotion of sustainable aviation fuels (\u201cReFuelEU\u201d), the EU Commission is attempting to force the aviation sector, which has so far been moderately active in terms of climate protection, to switch to sustainable fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the currently proposed version of the ReFuelEU regulation presents the risk that longstanding, successful biofuel systems for road and maritime transport will be endangered by political preference for air transport and that the general goal of reducing total GHG emissions across the entire transport sector will be impeded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Austrian company BDI has been making a significant contribution to the further development and implementation of biofuels for road transport for over 25 years. Since its establishment in 1996, and in cooperation with local universities, BDI has repeatedly developed benchmark technologies for the production of top-quality biodiesel from waste materials and implemented them in more than 40 large-scale industrial projects worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company recognized very early on that the most economical and ecologically appropriate production of biodiesel could be achieved by utilizing waste fats and oils. Thus, BDI was the first biodiesel technology supplier worldwide to successfully construct plants for the recycling of waste cooking oils, animal fats and grease separator fats on an industrial scale, and has thereby established itself as a technological pioneer in this field. Over the past two years, for example, BDI has planned, built and successfully commissioned three large-scale biodiesel plants with its latest, patented RepCAT technology \u2013 which was especially developed for the processing of highly degenerated waste fats (e.g. separator fats from sewage systems or wastewater treatment). With RepCAT, hazardous waste can be converted into high-quality biodiesel, which contributes to the closure of CO2 cycles and the reduction of additional greenhouse gas emissions. By using a specially developed, recyclable catalyst, this process also manages to significantly reduce operating costs and increase further the sustainability of biodiesel production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Renewable Energy Directive (RED), which is to be redrafted in the course of the Fit-for-55 package, takes into account that biofuels for the transport sector should preferably be produced from non-food raw materials, e.g. from waste fats or lignocellulosic biomass, and not from vegetable oils suitable for human consumption. Particularly in the case of biofuel production from waste fats, however, care must be taken to ensure that the corresponding feedstock (used cooking oils, waste animal fats, grease separator fats, etc.) is accumulated. These resources are only available in very limited quantities and thus are finite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2021, members of the European Waste-based & Advanced Biofuels Association (EWABA) produced more than 2 million tons of waste-based biodiesel in their nearly 40 European production units. This biofuel volume saved about 6.3 million tons of CO2 emissions in comparison to petroleum diesel. The European biodiesel industry, mostly consisting of SMEs, also secures more than 25,000 jobs along the entire value chain in at least 21 EU member states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n