‘Green’ group asking gov’t to go slow on B5

Environmental group Kaibigan ng Kaunlaran at Kalikasan (KKK) is urging the government, specifically the National Biofuels Board, to go slow on proposals to increase the level of coco methyl ester  (CME) in diesel from 2 percent to 5 percent, which will result in a product called “B5,”  due to technical and price concerns.

In a statement, KKK said the NBB should defer increasing the level of CME in diesel until extensive and independent technical studies were conducted.

This month, the government will hold consultations with farmers, coconut oil millers and biodiesel producers about the upgrade to B5, which Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala is pushing to help the coconut industry deal with cheaper palm oil.

KKK said it had attended a stakeholder meeting in Davao, where it had expressed its reservations about the plan.

It said the NBB (led by the Department of Energy) had yet to conduct and complete a comprehensive and scientific study on the technical effects of CME in vehicles and industrial engines.

KKK executive director Ed G. Alabastro said he had encountered reports of residues and bacterial growth in B2 that allegedly caused poor vehicle performance and fuel line clogging in storage tanks and service stations. Alabastro also noted potential price hikes and the possibility of vehicles with low fuel efficiency to operate poorly on a higher biodiesel blend.