- On the Occasion of the World Biofuel Day,the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas has released the Expression of Interest(EOI) by Oil Marketing Companies for procurement of Biodiesel made from Used Cooking Oil(UCO).
- The entrepreneurs setting up Biodiesel plants will get remunerative price and assurance of complete offtake of production by the oil marketing companies.
- The Oil companies will also bear the cost of transportation and GST for the first year.The scheme is being launched in 100 cities across the country.
- Biodiesel is a renewable, biodegradable fuel manufactured domestically from vegetable oils or animal fats.Biofuels have the benefits of reduction of import dependence,cleaner environment,additional income to farmers and employment generation.
- Used Cooking Oil(UCO) is a potential feedstock for biodiesel.The consumption of Used Cooking Oil(UCO) poses adverse health effects.During frying,several properties of oil are altered and Total Polar Compounds(TPC) are formed on repeated frying.
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had launched RUCO (Repurpose Used Cooking Oil).It is an initiative that will enable collection and conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel.
- The minister has also launched a sticker on RUCO(Repurpose Used Cooking Oil) and a mobile app to facilitate the collection of UCO.The RUCO sticker will imply that the establishment having it conforms to the RUCO ecosystem and does not reuse the cooking oil.The RUCO App will enable stakeholders to track and trace all transactions.
