Biodiesel
It's as biodegradable as sugar and 10 times less toxic than salt. Biodiesel is a realistic alternative to petroleum diesel for the 21st century.
Biodiesel can be used in existing diesel engines without modification or it can be blended with diesel in varying quantities.
About 600 tonnes of biodiesel are currently sold every month, produced mainly from recycled cooking oils.
So why are biofuels not more widely available?
Biofuels are roughly twice as expensive (pre-tax) to produce as fossil fuels even though they offer huge environmental and other advantages.
Full UK fuel duty rates make them too expensive to buy. Although the Government has introduced a 20p/litre reduction in fuel duty for biodiesel and bioethanol, this is unlikely to be sufficient to start serious and competitive production.
Further Government support is likely to be necessary if the UK and the East of England are to benefit from these technologies.