Guardian Unlimited Special reports BP sets up lab to find greener car fuels

BP promised yesterday to spend $500m (£285m) establishing a dedicated energy laboratory aimed at using the emerging knowledge from bioscience to find greener car fuels.
The company hopes the study of living organisms will also provide ways of improving the recovery of oil, as well as opening up more opportunities for coal bed methane and carbon sequestration.
Lord Browne, chief executive, said he had started talks with leading universities in Britain and the US that could host what will be known as the BP Energy Biosciences Institute. "The world needs new technologies to maintain adequate supplies of energy for the future. Bioscience is already transforming modern medicine and we believe it can bring immense benefits to the energy sector," he said

The initiative was given a muted welcome by environmental campaign group Greenpeace, which said there were wider worries about biofuels and land use. Doug Parr, chief scientist, said: "This is good but it's not in itself any kind of answer. BP can't do everything on its own. It's up to governments and legislators. Biofuels can compete for land use against biomass and cause deforestation in areas like Brazil."
BP hopes to start early research programmes by the end of next year and will focus on developing new biofuel components and improving those currently blended with transport fuels.Related articles22.04.2003: Gary Younge: Big, not clever ... How environmentalists are going to war on the SUV21.07.2004: Catherine Bennett: My car's bigger than yours ... What is it about SUVs that so many drivers love?Cars on filmQuiz: Test your knowledge of cars in the moviesQuiz: Test your knowledge of car chases in the moviesBuying a carSpecial report on Guardian Unlimited MoneySpecial reportsFocus: carsBritain's car industryBest of the web