From hotpot to high altitudes: How China is using leftover oil to fuel planes

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From the glistening meats to the savoury broth, we all love a good hotpot meal.

But how many of us really guzzle down the soup right down to the last drop so as to ensure minimal food wastage? 

Well, in Chengdu, China, hotpot is responsible for producing 12,000 tonnes of waste oil each month, according to a Bloomberg report. 

But a China company, Sichuan Jinshang Environmental Protection Technology, has managed to find a way to transform used hotpot oil for a much better purpose.

As the saying goes, it is all about turning lead into gold. The Chinese start-up has come up with a nifty process to use leftover oil as fuel for planes. 

The process starts the moment diners leave the hotpot restaurant. The leftover oil is then processed through a filter that separates the oil from water.  

Subsequently, the oil is then transported back to a plant where it undergoes another round of treatment process, removing any traces of water and impurities. 

The final product is a clear, yellow-coloured industrial-grade oil, which is then exported to countries like the United States and Singapore where it gets recycled into what industry insiders call "sustainable aviation fuel" (SAF).

Ye Bin, the company's general manager, mentioned in an interview that the company is "producing up to 150,000 tonnes of industrial-grade oil annually from a combination of hotpot restaurants and other eateries across Chengdu, including KFC outlets." 

However, as CNA reported, SAF is still not widely used, making up "less than 0.1 per cent of all aviation fuels consumed."

Last year, Singapore Airline and Scoot kickstarted their pilot programme of using blended Sustainable Aviation Fuel. 

Under this one-year pilot, Nestle supplied 1,000 tonnes of neat SAF, which is blended with refined jet fuel at ExxonMobil’s facilities in Singapore. 

This initiative is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 2,500 tonnes.

ALSO READ: Shoppers say they want sustainable goods, but won't pay more

venkat.gunasellan@asiaone.com

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