Growing demand for animal fats biofuels

Rendered animal fats from poultry, pigs and cattle have been used for many years in pet food and in the oleochemical sector for soaps and cosmetics. But, their use as transport fuels, currently mostly in cars and trucks, is causing alarm to climate scientists.

This is happening particularly as aviation companies have recently struck deals with suppliers for “sustainable aviation fuels” (SAF), which often include animal fats.

A study carried out by Cerulogy for clean transport campaign group, Transport and Environment, found that supplies of animal fat in biodiesel have grown fortyfold since 2006. Demand for animal fats in biofuels is projected to triple by 2030 compared to 2021. This feedstock is expected to be the most used material in SAFs after used cooking oil, with fuel suppliers heavily investing in the processing of animal fats for biodiesel and other fuels.

Europe already burns 46% of all animal fat feedstocks as biodiesel, according to the study, making transport the largest user of such fats. But its availability is finite, and Transport and Environment calculates that to entirely fuel a transatlantic flight between Paris and New York, you would need 8,800 dead pigs each way. Carbon dioxide emissions from animal fats biofuels could be up to 1.7 times worse than conventional diesel.