Who are we trying to fuel?

When the Biofuels Act of 2006 was signed into law back in January 2007, it did not only assure us of cleaner air, it promised to reduce our fuel importation by 12 percent as well as “resuscitate and strengthen the economic health of both our coconut and sugar industry” which in turn would “alleviate poverty by reducing our dependency on imports” by making sure our prices were not being dictated to by big importers. Or so goes the pitch.

The problem, however, is that six years on, gasoline prices continue to soar, pollution levels remain the same, and 90 percent of our ethanol is still imported––making the Philippines the second largest ethanol importer in the world. And come November, the mandatory level of coco methyl ester (CME) in every drop of diesel sold in this country is set to more than double, despite there being no extensive study on the positive environmental impact of B2 implementation.

Now biodiesel per se is a good thing. But because the Philippines is the only country in the world to use (CME) as biodiesel, oil majors, environmental groups and car manufacturers are concerned that not enough long-term testing exists that can guarantee them that CME is indeed beneficial to the environment as well as their engines, leaving them open to liability if or when an engine fails. 

Environmental group Kaibigan ng Kaunlaran at Kalikasan (KKK) has asked the government, specifically the National Biofuels Board (NBB),  to hold off on the increase until they can produce enough independent studies to prove that CME will not damage modern CRDi engines, after receiving reports of residues and bacterial growth even at just 2 percent. 

“We are the only country in the world that uses CME in diesel and yet government did not conduct independent studies when they mandated the 2-percent blend. And now, despite reports of residue and microbial contamination in CME, there are now moves to increase the CME blend to 5 percent.” KKK Executive Director, Dr. Ed Alabastro said in a statement.

Rafael Diaz from the Asian Institute of Petroleum studies Inc. disagrees and claims that CME will not only resuscitate the coconut industry and clean the air, but be highly beneficial to CRDi engines, and is the solution to our pollution.

“Based on the technical features of CME, B5 will in fact improve the performance of CRDi engines. Hyundai had advertised its acceptance of B5 a couple of years back,” Mr. Diaz said in an email when approached for comment on this discussion. 

Jun Lao, Owner and Managing Director at Chemrez Technologies, Inc, one of only nine active CME manufacturing plants in the country, adds by saying, “CRDi engines are the biggest winner with higher CME blends. That’s because CME has a lower viscosity and far better atomization from injectors. It also has high solvency for the soot-dissolving effect in the fuel line and injectors. The worldwide fuel charter supports B5. This is why CAMPI fully supports B5.” 

In a telephone interview, CAMPI President, Rommel Gutierrez, however, has denied giving the seal of approval on B5 and tells me that their technical committee has yet to take a position on it, while Hyundai has confirmed Mr. Diaz’s claim in a separate email. 

The other area of concern has been fuel consumption. Tests have shown that despite containing 11 percent oxygen that promotes complete combustion, as an automotive fuel, CME’s heating value is 13 percent lower than neat diesel. And the fear is that an increase to a 5-percent blend will not only burden motorists in terms of price but will likewise penalize them with lower fuel efficiency. Add to that the historically unstable price of CME fluctuating over 100 percent in a year (it has peaked at 97 pesos a liter from a four year average of 59 pesos a liter) and it has consumer groups fearing the worst.

There is also the issue of using food grade crops for fuel in a country that faces genuine issues of starvation, as well as the concern that while the program may benefit the coconut industry through the Social Amelioration and Welfare Program (SAWP), the middle men will be the big winners and the profits remain undistributed among the target beneficiaries.

Though the benefits of biofuel in general undoubtably outweigh the drawbacks, there needs to be more transparency and conclusive independent testing before we, as consumers, should be forced to use it. We need guarantees that our indigenous biodiesel (CME) will in no way damage our engines and if so, that our warranties will be honored.

And lastly, leave us with the power of choice to prevent prices being artificially inflated by a mandated demand, just so we’re all clear about who’s fueling who.