About biofuels
On this page
- What are biofuels?
- A good alternative to petrol
- Availability of biofuels in New Zealand
- Quality assurance of biofuels
What are biofuels?
Biofuels are fuels that can be produced from renewable materials such as from plants.
Sustainable biofuels have many benefits over conventional fossil fuels, most importantly they are renewable with lower net carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas contributing to global climate change.
Types of biofuels
The two most common biofuels are biodiesel and bioethanol. These come in the form of:
- biodiesel/diesel blends (like B5 which is a blend of up to 5% biodiesel in ordinary diesel)
- bioethanol/petrol blends (like E10 which is blend of up to 10% bioethanol in ordinary petrol.)
Where are biofuels used?
Biofuels have been in use worldwide for over 20 years now. South America, the United States, Canada, parts of Europe, Asia and Australia all use biofuel blends.
A good alternative to petrol
As biofuels are produced from biological material, they are to varying degrees ‘carbon neutral’.
This means that the carbon dioxide released by the use of one year’s worth of a biofuel is absorbed by growing the biomass needed for the next year’s worth of fuel.
Biofuels sustainability
By using biofuels, you can be part of New Zealand’s move to be a world leader in sustainable, renewable fuels. This is New Zealand’s chance to show the world that biofuels can be used sustainably, without affecting the environment.
Biofuels around the world vary in they way they are produced with differing impacts on climate change, the environment and people. New Zealand is working towards ensuring we only produce and access sustainable biofuels both today and in the future.
Sustainability is about making the right choices to reduce our impact on the environment. When it comes to biofuels this means ensuring biofuels we use in New Zealand do not compete with food production, do not come from rainfroest areas or other environmentally important land, and reduce overall carbon dioxide emissions.
In New Zealand biofuels that are currently available come from two sustainable sources, to produce bioethanol blended petrol:
- From whey, a natural by-product of the dairy industry.
- From Brazilian sugarcane, grown in the south of Brazil. Brazilian sugarcane bioethanol is one of the most sustainable biofuels available.
>> Summary of report on sustainability of Brazilian sugercane biofuel [EECA website]
Availability of biofuels in New Zealand
Biofuel blends are commercially available in some parts of New Zealand. To see where you can buy biofuels, go to Biofuel retailers on the EECA website.
Quality assurance of biofuels
You can be confident about the quality of any biofuel blends for sale in New Zealand as they must meet the fuel specifications regulated by the Government.
Take action
Find out more about biofuel options for your vehicle and how to make the switch to biofuels in the following sections:
- Biodiesel (and biodiesel/diesel blends)
- Bioethanol-blended petrol (and bioethanol/petrol blends)
- For information on the progress on biofuels policy and legislation please visit www.biofuels.govt.nz.
More information
- For further information about the biofuels sales obligation, check with the Ministry of Transport. [Ministry of Transport website.]
- For updates on progress on biofuel policy go to obligation, check with Progress on biofuel policy. [Ministry of Economic Development website.]
- For updates on progress on biofuel legislation go to Select Committee Biofuel Bill. [New Zealand Government website.]