A Review on used cooking oil as a sustainable biodiesel feedstock in Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesia is the world’s largest producer and consumer of palm oil. Its residents are accustomed to frying food in its food culture, hence the massive generation of used cooking oil (UCO). However, UCO has not been optimally utilized. Most is dumped into the environment, causing uncontrolled environmental pollution. The utilization of UCO as biodiesel feedstock is one solution to overcome environmental pollution while increasing its economic value. This utilization contributes to the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target while simultaneously providing an additional global supply of biodiesel feedstock. The amount of UCO for biodiesel raw materials is potential to be increased further. However, the UCO collection system is extremely dependent on the existing collection system, socio-cultural and education aspects of the local community, as well as support from the local government. In Indonesia, UCO collection remains limited in a local context and is carried out partially. This study reviews several previous studies related to the potential of UCO and the environmental impact of UCO use for biodiesel. The improvement of the UCO collection management system in alignment with local socio-cultural conditions is also proposed. This paper is expected to offer a useful reference for decision-makers in updating and implementing the UCO collection method for sustainable biodiesel feedstock.