BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Drivers will in future also be able to fill up with diesel produced 100 percent from waste materials such as chip fat. On Friday, the Bundesrat (upper house of parliament) approved an ordinance by the federal government that clears the way for the introduction of biodiesel. So-called paraffinic diesel fuels, which are produced from waste materials and plant oils, will thus also be approved as a pure fuel. Until now, they could only be blended with conventional diesel. According to the new regulation, they may also be offered in 100 percent concentration in future.

As biodiesel produces less CO2 than conventional diesel, this should also contribute to climate protection. However, the extent to which the new fuel will be available in future is questionable. According to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, used cooking oil - for example from the catering industry - is already being used in full as an admixture in transportation.

The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) nevertheless spoke of a "good day for the environment and the climate". Renewable fuels could make a significant contribution to achieving the climate targets in the transport sector, says VDA President Hildegard Müller. "On the road to climate-neutral transportation, renewable fuels are the appropriate and urgently needed complement to the mainstay of electromobility."

The automobile club ADAC also spoke of a "further step on the way to lower CO2 emissions for vehicles with petrol or diesel engines". Comprehensive approvals from car manufacturers are now urgently and quickly needed to ensure that the new fuels are accepted by consumers./sk/DP/men