The growth of energy prices in many countries is increasingly conditioned by the use of alternative fuels for machines, so the issue of the use of biodiesel is again relevant. Professor of the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad, Milan Tomic, told Radio Belgrade that the production of biodiesel in Serbia has been reduced to the operation of small-capacity micro plants, which are mostly used by farmers in households and use biodiesel for their own needs.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, and then the war in Ukraine, the advocates of the use of biodiesel have become louder in our country, especially in agriculture, considering that this branch of the economy is also the largest user of diesel in our country.
Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad, Dr. Milan Tomic, for Radio Belgrade 1, explains that in our country, the basic raw materials for the production of biodiesel, sunflower and soybeans are grown on about 450,000 hectares, and oilseed rape on only 25,000 hectares.
Taking into account the needs of the population for food, it is possible to use land with an area of ​​about 242,000 hectares for the production of biodiesel in Serbia, which, as he points out, would enable the production of about 242,000 tons of biodiesel per year.
In some countries, waste edible oils from restaurants, households and the food industry are also used. Asked whether this system could be applied in our country, Professor Tomic said: “By developing an efficient system for collecting waste edible oils, it is possible to produce an additional 10,000 tons of biodiesel per year using this raw material.”
According to Professor Tomić, the production of biodiesel in Serbia today has been reduced to the operation of small-capacity micro plants, which are mainly used by farmers in households and use biodiesel for their own needs.
The interlocutor reminds that we started the production of biodiesel in 2007, but it was suspended in 2013 due to the introduction of excise duty on biodiesel, which therefore cost almost as oil-based fuel and thus became uncompetitive in relation to Eurodiesel.
“In order to restart biodiesel production in our country, it is necessary to make a detailed assessment of the price it would demand, and it is necessary for the state to give up excise duties on biofuels, because that was the reason why biodiesel production was stopped,” said Professor Tomic, RTS reports.
