Biofuel and Eco-efficiency – Exemplified by Small Recreation Boats

Biofuel and Eco-efficiency – Exemplified by Small Recreation Boats, Prof. Annik Magerholm Fet, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway) Abstract Biodiesel has been widely used to fuel diesel engines for onshore vehicles, particularly, for agriculture machinery. Application of biodiesel for merchant ships’ propulsion in a large scale has been seen a non-near future option due to the lack of availability and supply chains of the fuel. However, this has already changed, and powering recreational boats with biodiesel has shown some market in pursuing marine environmental protection. The paper presents a feasibility study of biodiesel applied in recreational boats in the UK for the purposes of rational utilisation of energy resources and environmental protection. The study reviews the current status of using biodiesel on recreational boats and analyses the market in the UK based on a master thesis at Newcastle University. The results are further analysed and seen as part of the current debate on the use of land to produce biofuel. The concept of eco-efficiency is used to compare the efficiency of biofuel against conventional fuel. As the interest for making investments in bio-fuel technologies is increasing, it is important to avoid solving one problem by merely shifting it out of the system analyzed.