The transition from fossil fuels to sustainable biofuels involves multiple different steps to change the production methods of fuel, incorporate new storage systems that use technologies such as pressure valves to increase safety, and ensure that any necessary changes do not affect transportation operations.
One vital aspect of this transition is less about convincing businesses to switch to biofuels, as shipping and supply chain firms are more than happy to switch to more sustainable fuels as long as they are cost-effective, but instead is about ensuring that they are.
A notable development in this field is the development announced by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation of three fuel tracer technologies designed to provide low-cost certainty that the fuel being used in engines is authentic biofuel that has not been adulterated or mixed.
To understand why, it is important to understand what fuel tracers are and how they contribute to the safe production, distribution and storage of biofuels in specific.
What Are Fuel Tracers?
A fuel tracer is an adulterant added to fuels in order to provide an identifying mark to ensure that the right fuels are being used in the right way and for the right reasons.
One of the simplest and indeed most common examples of this is rebated off-road fuels, often known simply as “red diesel” due to the characteristic red dye that stains the fuel and the tanks whenever it is used.
There are various aims of a fuel tracer depending on the type and the industry, but they are usually used to combat fuel fraud, where fuel is either illegally mixed or used illegally.
Red diesel, for example, is used for the relatively simple purpose of avoiding either illegal use of untaxed fuel or stopping fraudsters from selling tax-free diesel to undiscerning customers for a profit, with the latter unaware that they were both committing and were victims of a crime.
A tracer cannot be easily removed without leaving a trace, and attempts to remove it can have significant implications for the vehicle it is used in and the wider environment.
Why Are Tracers So Important For Biofuel?
Tracers are not only an essential part of the regulatory compliance required for all types of fuel but are specifically important to ensure that the transition from heavy oils and polluting fuel systems to sustainable alternatives is undertaken effectively and in a way that the industry can trust.
Fuels have been subject to regulatory scrutiny for decades to ensure that they do not contain harmful or polluting chemicals such as lead and do not contribute to unhealthy emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
Biofuels are subject to certification schemes at the point of production, but with the gradual nature of their transition into heavy transportation industries such as shipping, there is a gap in verification whilst in use.
This creates the risk of a form of greenwashing, where some fraudulent organisations may claim the use of sustainable fuel for a mix of marketing and incentive-claiming purposes whilst using adulteration to save money at a point where biofuels are more expensive.
This means that companies are claiming to be making moves to help the environment, whilst either not doing enough or even potentially making the situation worse, depending on the chemicals used to launder the fuel.
Beyond this, fuel fraud hurts legitimate manufacturers and the entire supply chain, as liars claim to provide the same certified fuel or fuel blends but at a significantly discounted price compared to the general market.
Finally, there is a trust issue to consider. Sustainability measures need to be trusted and believed in to be adopted by an industry and by the population as a whole.
Bad actors undermine the incredibly good work that has been undertaken throughout the sector during a time when there are already risks of backwards steps due to changes in regulation and priorities.
Tracers are one of several tools the industry can use to enforce the use of sustainable fuels and ensure that the benefits to the environment are legitimate.
A Chilling Effect On Fraud
Tracers have been an effective way of detecting and preventing fraud in other similar cases of fuel and emissions fraud, and used alongside more intensive cross-border certification systems and punishing disincentives to bad actors can help significantly reduce fraud.
One of the consequences of “Dieselgate” was that it revealed the stakes involved in rooting out environmental fraud, and with the rapid transition to sustainable alternative fuels, more sophisticated detection methods and significant disincentives are needed to root out criminals.
