Lootah Bio Fuel (LBF), a leader in alternative fuel industry in the UAE, manufactures biodiesel for running vehicles, for which the raw material or feedstock is used cooking oil.

The company handles the collection of approximately 200,000 litres of used cooking oil (UCO) per month to manufacture the biodiesel, which is the cheapest diesel in the UAE and reduces carbon emissions from vehicles.

Dubai produces over thousands of tonnes of UCO monthly. For companies involved in the food and beverage sector the disposal of UCO is a huge problem as food companies and restaurants are prohibited from disposing it through the sewage system, said Yousif Saeed Lootah, CEO of LBF.

“The utilization of UCO in the manufacture of biodiesel defines the very essence of sustainability. Unlike in the manufacturing processes of biodiesel from plant sources such as corn, soy, and palm which require arable land for the cultivation of these crops, UCO is a readily available feedstock that only needs collection,” said Lootah.

The decision to use UCO in the production of biodiesel for LBF has helped in raising the company’s green profile and can also help elevate the CSR profiles of companies that contract with LBF.

However, the collection of UCO is a challenge as there are many unauthorized collectors who pay extra for UCO from various food and beverage outlets. Most of these unauthorized collectors then go on to export the UCO and in some countries it is resold as cooking oil which when consumed is a health risk.

“We work closely with the Dubai Municipality and other government institutions on building a regulatory framework that prevents the unauthorized UCO collectors from operating and exporting the UCO,” said Lootah, when asked about efforts to combat the challenges in collecting UCO. – TradeArabia News Service