Taiwan EPA’s Department of Waste Management Director-General Wu Sheng-chung said the government considers manufacturing of biodiesel from waste cooking oil as a valuable resource, generating domestic sales of TWD 3 billion (USD 96.4 million) annually for the country.

About 26,000 tonnes of waste cooking oil were recycled into biodiesel in the first half of this year, he said. About 10,000 tonnes were exported predominantly to South Korea, while about 16,000 tonnes were used locally to blend with petroleum diesel. As biodiesel costs more abroad, locally produced biodiesel has a competitive edge over imported biodiesel, he said.

Touting biodiesel as a clean fuel that helps the nation work toward its carbon reduction goals, Wu said that as the fuel has an oxygen content of about 18%, biodiesel can be fully combusted, thus driving down carbon dioxide emissions. It is also an attractive alternative to petroleum diesel, as it does not produce the potentially carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons that are associated with burning petroleum diesel, he said.

He said the Taiwan EPA would continue talks with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to promote biodiesel.