Used cooking oil over ethanol: Govt’s new route to 5% biodiesel blending
India’s government has postponed its plan to blend 5% ethanol in diesel by 2030 due to volatile ethanol production volumes. Instead, it will focus on expanding the repurpose used cooking oil (RUCO) initiative, which began in 2019. This shift aims to address challenges in large-scale biodiesel blending, a practice widely used in Europe but hindered in India by limited ethanol production and other logistical issues. The RUCO initiative seeks to utilize recycled cooking oil as a more stable alternative.
The government had been planning to use ethanol to meet its target of blending 5 per cent biodiesel in diesel sales by 2030, but the volatility in ethanol production volumes has forced it to shelve the plan, officials said. Instead, it is now focusing on used cooking oil (Uco), with plans to expand the repurpose used cooking oil (Ruco) initiative launched in 2019, officials said.
Widely used in Europe, biodiesel refers to biodegradable fuel traditionally manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant grease. However, large-scale blending has faced multiple hurdles in India due to the limited…
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