Project description
Green recycling process for waste cooking oil
Many countries have passed laws to promote the recycling of used vegetable oils. However, limitations in the current technology make the proper reutilisation of this raw material impossible. The EU-funded WORLD project aims to create a virtuous green process for waste cooking oil (WCO) recycling using a circular economy model. Using green and recyclable raw materials, it will demonstrate the fast and zero-waste production of biolubricants from WCOs. Wastewater and contaminated bentonites will be recycled in separate sub-processes. The project will also explore the possibility of obtaining a suitable medium for treating volatile organic compounds from WCOs. This work will lead to the production of globally competitive refined products based on a circular economy model.
Objective
Although several Countries have enacted specific legislations in order to boost the recycling of used vegetable oils, the limits of the current technology don’t allow a proper reutilization of such raw material. The project WORLD aims to develop a virtuous green process for WCOs recycling which applying a circular economy model. An innovative fast and zero-waste production of biolubricants from WCOs will be developed employing green and recyclable raw materials (water and natural bentonites). The wastewaters and the contaminated bentonites will be recycled in two independent sub-processes. In addition to the biolubricants production, the possibility to obtain a suitable medium for VOCs treatment from WCOs will be considered. The scientific part of the project will be developed in agreement to the economic guidelines defined by UBU-ICCRAM. In fact, in order to develop a circular economy model and to produce refined products competitive on the global market, a detailed business plan will be edited. The recycling of the raw materials, the minimization of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) and reduction of the production costs with respect to existing processes, will be exploited for build the economic plan. The Company GESTTA will guarantee assistance in the scale-up step will facilitate the brake into the market of the refined products. Life Cycle Assessment studies (LCA) and market analyses performed by UBU-ICCRAM will enhance the market competitiveness of the proposed process. The optimized transfer of know-how and skills within the Staff members involved from the academic and private sectors, as well as the best strategies of value chain analysis, scaling-up analysis and financial requirements analysis, during all the duration of the project will be guaranteed by the contribution to the project of FYD, an Italian Company specialized in transfer of knowledge activities.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processes
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringmining and mineral processing
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturevegetable growing
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
Keywords
Programme(s)
Coordinator
20133 Milano
Italy