Used Cooking Oil Being Developed as Aviation Fuel: Ministry

by Ade Irma J, Resinta S (Antara Indonesian News Agency) The Indonesian Industry Ministry stated that the potential of used cooking oil, currently being developed globally, could be tapped to serve as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

"This used cooking oil is a raw material that has added value for fuel, aircraft fuel, and also biofuel," the ministry's Director General of Agro Industry, Putu Juli Ardika, stated after sending off the first export of traceable used cooking oil in Jakarta, Thursday.

Currently, Ardika said that the domestic processing of used cooking oil is still being developed. However, he ensured that the government will continue to encourage the use and processing of used cooking oil into potential industrial raw materials.

"Green fuel in Indonesia is being explored for the aircraft industry," he remarked.

Furthermore, his side is encouraging the use of industrial vegetable oil (IVO), one of which is Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME).

On the other hand, other efforts are being made to support the procurement of green fuel to be similar to petroleum but without contaminants, such as sulfur or other heavy metals, he remarked.

Ardika noted that used cooking oil, as part of the oleochemical industry, has huge potential to serve as a biomaterial to replace non-renewable oils.

"For example, we can replace the use of petroleum in textiles and plastics industry with used cooking oil," he explained.

Although it has the potential to meet high global market needs, Ardika noted that the supply of used cooking oil still faces challenges.

He explained that the recovery rate or the used cooking oil collection rate was still low, namely only at around eight percent. Hence, he expressed hope that the Used Cooking Oil Information System (Simijel) would be able to boost the recovery rate to increase the supply of used cooking oil in Indonesia.

"We are trying to encourage the community and households to gather their used cooking oil because they still tend to throw it away," he remarked.

On the same occasion, Chairman of the Indonesian Used Cooking Oil Exporters Association (AEMJI) Setiady Goenawan stated that Simijel was expected to boost the recovery rate, from the current eight percent to 20 percent by the end of 2024.

"This also aims to increase Indonesia's attractiveness for SAF investment. They basically will seek any waste, but used cooking oil is the priority. We need to increase the recovery rate of our used cooking oil," Goenawan emphasized.

He noted that used cooking oil varieties, especially those with point-of-origin traceability, had become the new standard for acceptance of these products in the European and US markets.

He stated that green fuel produced from well-traceable used cooking oil had very low net carbon emissions that come from the implementation of the circular economy principles, namely from waste to energy.

The traceability aspect is also a prerequisite, as buyers need a guarantee that the origin of used cooking oil comes from the point of production of used cooking oil rather than from a mixture of fresh oil or other oils and/or from illegal sources of used cooking oil, he explained. READ MORE