France is expected to legalize the reuse of cooking oil as fuel
In response to rising inflation and potential energy shortages in winter, France's parliament voted on a €20 billion package in July this year (2022). Although the bills still need to pass through the Senate, one of them will allow and endorse the possible usage of frying oil as fuel for vehicles.
Ecologists pushing for the bill say that using used oil as a fuel "provides immediate relief for the French people's wallets and limits pollution from diesel engines". According to MP Julien Bayou, secretary of the French Green Party, who pushed for the amendment, ten litres of correctly reprocessed waste oil can give nine litres of fuel.
Can cooking oil be poured directly into the car and used?
It is worth noting that the practice of using cooking oil as fuel is limited to diesel vehicles. Also, unused cooking oil or oil that has been used in a fryer is not intended to be used directly as fuel. Because the new oil is too viscous, it may damage the engine, and the used oil also needs to be collected, filtered, processed, and then mixed with traditional diesel before it can be used as fuel.
Although France has not fully legalized the use of cooking oil as fuel, there are actually some exceptions. For example, the town of Béthune-Bruay in Pas-de-Calais has been powering its fleet of 78 rubbish collection trucks with a fuel made from local recycled cooking oil since 2019. The town has partnered with Gecco, a waste disposal company led by Michel Millares, which focuses on transforming food industry waste into local and renewable energy sources. And another team called Roule Ma Frite, which has local branches all over France, not only collects and distributes cooking oil-based fuel to its members, but also campaigns for change on a governmental level for a long time.
Utilization of Waste Cooking Oil in the Aviation Industry
Last year (2021) in May, Air France-KLM Airbus A350 has completed a long-distance flight from Paris, France to Montenegro, Canada, using a blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from cooking oil. Despite the high cost by comparison to the price of kerosene, jet fuel produced from biomass or synthetically from renewable power has the potential to slash carbon emissions. Flights departing from France will be required to use 1% SAF starting in 2022, ahead of EU Green Deal policy's target of 2% by 2025 and 5% by 2030.
With the advancement and adjustment of technology and regulations, we are expected to make more flexible and comprehensive use of cooking oil, making it a part of circular economy and carbon reduction actions.
Resources
https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/07/26/france-could-make-it-legal-to-use-cooking-oil-as-fuel-in-bid-to-battle-cost-of-living-cris
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210518-air-france-powers-long-haul-flight-to-canada-with-used-cooking-oil
