Osaka's representative soul food, oil after frying skewer cutlets.
A large-scale facility has been built to convert the used cooking oil into fuel for airplanes.
The fuel is called SAF = Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and it is now being watched with enthusiasm.
What is SAF? And what are the challenges?
Sakai: Groundbreaking ceremony for Japan's first large-scale production facility
On May 5, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Sakai City, Osaka, for a large-scale production facility to produce SAF.
It is operated by companies established by oil distributor Cosmo Oil and major plant company JGC Holdings, and is expected to start operations in 16.
Using used oil collected from restaurants and other establishments as a raw material, the plant is planned to produce approximately 3,<> kiloliters per year.
It is the first time that a facility for mass production of SAF has been built in Japan.
Masataka Akika, CEO of the company that operates the facility, expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "The first step is to succeed in large-scale production here, and we would like to contribute to decarbonization."
What is SAF?
SAF is produced from waste, used cooking oil, plants, etc.
Compared to conventional fuels, carbon dioxide emissions are said to be reduced by about 80%.
It is used on some routes overseas, and the Japan government has set a goal of replacing 2030% of aircraft fuel with SAF by 1.
The reason why SAF is emphasized is that there are urgent circumstances for the realization of a decarbonized society.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, airplanes emit 5.7 times more carbon dioxide per transport volume than railways.
In Europe, an advanced SAF region with high environmental awareness, there is even a saying that using an airplane is a "shame to fly," that is, a shame to fly.
Airlines are under scrutiny.
ICAO = International Civil Aviation Organization, which sets rules for the operation of commercial aircraft, also aims to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by international aircraft to virtually zero by 2050.
For this reason, weight reduction and efficiency improvement of the aircraft are being promoted, but there are limits.
Looking at other energy sources, batteries used in EVs and other devices are considered to be heavy and not suitable for passenger aircraft, and it is considered difficult to introduce them immediately because infrastructure development is required to use hydrogen as fuel.
Passenger aircraft have to rely on jet fuel to obtain powerful propulsion, and SAF is attracting attention because it can be used to replace conventional fossil-derived fuel.
Used cooking oil "battle"!?
However, one of the raw materials for SAF is used cooking oil.
Right now, we are in a situation that can be called a battle for contention.
The office of Revo International, a company headquartered in Kyoto City that collects spent oil and manufactures fuel, is located in Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture.
Every day, about 10 trucks collect from restaurants and other establishments, mainly in the Kansai region.
The company is currently using the recovered oil as a raw material for biodiesel fuel for cars, and plans to start supplying it to SAF when the plant in Sakai City goes into operation.
According to this company, the situation surrounding used oil has changed significantly over the past few years.
In the past, many collection companies received payment from restaurants and other establishments to pick them up, but with the increase in demand, there are now more and more cases where collection companies pay the price to buy it.
For this reason, it is said that customers may be lost to companies that pay higher prices.
The National Federation of Oil and Fat Business Cooperatives, an industry group, analyzes that demand for used oil is increasing in Europe and other countries, which were among the first to embark on the production of SAF.
Approximately 40,3 tons of used oil is collected annually from restaurants and other establishments in Japan.
Most of them have been used as raw materials for livestock feed.
However, in recent years, demand for overseas exports has increased rapidly, and in FY Reiwa, 3,12 tons, or 2%, were exported.
As demand increased, the transaction price for exports soared by about 6.<> times.
The value of used oil has skyrocketed, leading to a scramble.
Kasue Nakanishi, manager of Revo International, said, "I believe that used oil is not garbage Japan but a small energy resource in Japan.
Ensuring Stability
In the midst of what is said to be a scramble, how can we secure a stable supply of used oil?
The company that operates the facility to be built in Sakai City plans to establish a supply chain and secure it in a stable manner.
In April, it was decided to obtain cooperation from the company that operates Sushiro, a major rotating sushi chain headquartered in Osaka.
Approximately 4 stores provide oil after cooking tempura and other fried foods.
In order to secure raw materials for SAF, we plan to obtain cooperation from several restaurant chains.
Kanna Matsuzaka, a researcher at the Japan Transport and Transport Research Institute, who is familiar with carbon dioxide reduction measures in the aviation field Japan, said, "I think that building a supply chain from raw material procurement to SAF supply will lead to stable distribution. I think it will be a big point for each business operator to work together."
Used oil at home!
Demand for SAF will continue to increase in the future.
Nowadays, used oil from households is also being watched with enthusiasm.
The amount is 10,40 tons per year.
This is not a small amount compared to the <>,<> tons from restaurants, but in fact, most of it is discarded.
Some supermarkets are moving to collect SAF, but this trend is expected to spread further as SAF production begins in earnest.
Maybe one day we will fly airplanes with the oil we use at home.
(Hotto Kansai Mobile Team: Shota Fujimoto, Takumi Kato, Akira Ono, Haruka Tama , Shota Yokoyama, Hiroto Matsuura)