Recycle cooking oil into biofuel

As the global race for low-carbon fuels intensifies, fuels made from vegetable and waste cooking oils are expected to play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector. transportation. Lootah Biofuels was established in 2010 to address the growing demand for alternative fuels in the region. Lootah Biofuels aims to introduce and innovate sustainable solutions for long-term energy needs. The company says it collects 500,000 liters of used cooking oil every month and converts it into biodiesel and other products. In 2023, the company produced more than 770 tons of biofuel. CEO Yousif Bin Saeed Al Lootah explains how it is produced: 'Blending biofuel is very easy. This is not nuclear science. It is actually an oil. We mix it with methanol and potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide'.

Illustration photo: Gulf News

The UAE is working to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. In 2023, an independent research group said it would take a long time for the UAE to reach its climate goals if it continued plans to expand oil and gas production and use. That same year, the UAE government updated its goals, including increasing the share of clean energy in the UAE's total energy source to 30% by 2030. Mr. Paul Hellier, Professor of Sustainable Energy Engineering Professor at the University of London (UK) commented: 'I think biodiesel from waste cooking oil is a really useful tool for us to start reducing greenhouse gas emissions.'

Lesley Montoya

Update 02 April 2024