Lootah Bio Fuel LLC (LBF) has claimed that it handles the collection of approximately 200,000 liters of used cooking oil (UCO) through an in-house department.
LBF, a fully-owned subsidiary of the Dubai-based enterprise S.S. Lootah Group, manufactures biodiesel of which the raw material or feedstock is used cooking oil. The resultant 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.
At present, LBF says it has contractual agreements with a number of hotel groups, restaurants, public kitchens, and labour camps for the collection of UCO, and in some cases even to supply biodiesel to these companies’ fleets.
Some of the companies that have contracts with LBF include Rotana Group, Grosvenor House, Le Meridien, Sheraton, Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Group, Modern Bakery, Armed Forces Officers Club & Hotel and New York Fries.
‘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’, the company said in a statement.
However, the collection of UCO is a challenge as there are many unauthorised collectors who pay extra for UCO from various food and beverage outlets. Most of these unauthorised 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,” Yousif Saeed Lootah, CEO of LBF, said when asked about efforts to combat the challenges in collecting UCO.
Environmental sustainability and green initiatives have got a boost in Dubai and the UAE following government plans and policies outlined in government strategy reports such as Dubai Strategic Plan 2021, UAE National Agenda 2021, and Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030. The reports outline plans centered on protecting the environment, managing consumption of natural resources, and diversification of UAE’s energy mix.
