The use of used cooking oil for the production of aviation fuel is a climate policy mistake

EWABA and MVaK present study 'Conversion efficiencies of fuel pathways for Used Cooking Oil'

Together with its European sister organisation EWABA, the MVaK commissioned the study "Conversion efficiencies of fuel pathways for Used Cooking Oil". This analysed where used cooking oil (UCO) is used most efficiently for climate protection in transport: for biodiesel production, HVO production, HEFA production or in co-processing.

The background to commissioning the study is our concern that the European Commission's forthcoming ReFuelEU proposal envisages an undifferentiated obligation to use renewable aviation fuels. As a result, our medium-sized members could be deprived of their raw material base. UCO previously used for biodiesel production could be diverted to the production of HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) aviation fuels.

An undifferentiated mandatory use of, for example, 2 % in 2025 would require around 1.1 million tonnes of renewable aviation fuels in the EU. As UCO-HEFA, this would deprive our industry, which currently uses around 2.5 million UCO, of a large part of its raw material base. At the same time, this quantity would be withdrawn from road transport and shipping as UCO biodiesel (UCOME = Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester).

The study shows that UCOME has the highest greenhouse gas emission reduction (90 %) and the lowest production costs. UCO-HEFA, on the other hand, has the lowest greenhouse gas emission reduction (76 %) and the highest production costs.

This study also highlights the possible consequences of an undifferentiated EU climate policy: The diversion of UCO from biodiesel production to HEFA production would counteract the EU's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the entire transport sector. It would lead to 1 million tonnes more greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector in 2025 if an undifferentiated aviation fuel use obligation of 2 % were introduced!

This is why the German government's decision to introduce an obligation to use only renewable energies of non-biogenic origin in aviation from 2026 is the right step in terms of climate policy.

Source: lifePR, MVaK