Abstract
In search of a more sustainable society, humanity has been looking to reduce the environmental impacts caused by its various activities. The energy sector corresponds to one of the most impactful activities since most energies produced come from fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, which are finite resources. Moreover, their inherent processes to convert energy into electricity emit various pollutants, which are responsible for global warming, eutrophication, and acidification of soil and marine environments. Biofuels are one of the alternatives to fossil fuels, and the raw material used for their production includes vegetable oils, wood and agricultural waste, municipal waste, and waste cooking oils (WCOs). The conventional route for WCO valorization is the production of biodiesel, which, as all recovery technologies, presents advantages and disadvantages that must be explored from a technical and economic perspective. Despite its successful use in the production of biodiesel, it should be noticed that there are other approaches to use WCO. Among them, thermochemical technologies can be applied to produce alternative fuels through cracking or hydrocracking, pyrolysis, and gasification processes. For each technology, the best conditions were identified, and finally, projects and companies that work with this type of technology and use WCO were identified.
Highlights
It is estimated that about 90% of cooking oils and fats used in the EU come from vegetable oils [1]
The results show that the ideal temperLi tested three types of zeolites (Meso-Y, and HY)catalyst with nickel, which ature for biofuel production from cooking oil used SAPO-34, with Ni-bentonite was 300
The results show that the ideal temperature for biofuel production from cooking oil used with Ni-bentonite catalyst was 300 ◦ C
Summary
It is estimated that about 90% of cooking oils and fats used in the EU come from vegetable oils [1]. (×103 tons) sector) and the difficulties associated with estimating the production of WCO from conProduction of EU28 vegetable oils and fats EU 28. Several studies use indirect methods to estimate approximately of totalNevertheless, WCO production, with the remainder being attributed to the quantities based onaconsumption forindustrial edible oils. Extrapolated to the total EU population of around 500 million, this would mean an annual WCO production capacity of 4 Mt, approximately seven times more than the amount currently collected [9]. Analyzing the same data on a per capita basis, some EU countries, such as Portugal (up to 6.5 kg/capita/year), become major producers [10] Due to this large amount of WCO produced, it is essential to recycle this waste to transform it into a “new product” with economic value. One way to recycle this waste is to convert it into biofuel [11–13]
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