British government to require biofuels

The British government will reportedly soon require oil companies to blend a fixed proportion of biofuels into the gasoline and diesel fuel they produce.

Biofuels come from various crops and do not add to the emissions of carbon dioxide that are causing global warming, The Independent reported Monday.

The move requiring a percentage of biofuels in gasoline and diesel fuel is the biggest fuel shift since unleaded gasoline was introduced more than 15 years ago, the newspaper said.

Under the plan, all gasoline in Britain will be required to be blended with ethanol -- a fuel made from grain, sugar, corn or wheat -- and diesel fuel will be required to be blended with a mixture made from oilseed rape or recycled vegetable oil.

Unlike fossil fuels, such as oil, gas and coal, biofuels are "carbon neutral," The Independent said, since the carbon dioxide such fuels produce is absorbed from the atmosphere by the crops used to make them.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International