Corn waste fuel ‘not better than petrol’

Biofuels made from the leftovers of harvested corn plants are worse than petrol for global warming in the short term, a study shows, challenging the Obama administration’s conclusions that they are a much cleaner oil alternative and will help fight climate change.

A $US500,000 ($A535,300) study paid for by the US federal government and released on Sunday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change concludes that biofuels made with corn residue release seven per cent more greenhouse gases in the early years compared with conventional petrol.

While biofuels are better in the long run, the study says they won’t meet a standard set in a 2007 energy law to qualify as renewable fuel.

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