FRYING OIL. A new fuel is about to be authorized in France: that made from frying oil. Who can claim it? At what price ? How does it work? Response elements.
[Mise à jour le 22 juillet à 12h17] “It is better to depend on the fries shacks of the North than on the oil of the oil monarchies”: the image is signed Julien Bayou, EELV deputy for Paris, but oh so symbolic. On Friday July 22, 2022, the National Assembly adopted an amendment from the elected official aimed at authorizing the use of used frying oil as fuel for vehicles, thus making it possible to offer users an alternative solution to traditional fuels such as diesel and gasoline. The amendment tabled by an opposition group, therefore, was validated by the government and the deputies. In concrete terms, it opens up the possibility of legally producing fuel from used cooking oil, mainly frying oil. However, the provision must still be validated by the Senate but its entry into force is almost in doubt.
Which oils are affected? How much does it cost ? How do you turn frying oil into fuel? Here’s what you need to know.
Frying oil, the new fuel?
Friday, July 22, the deputies therefore decided to make possible – once the global bill has been voted – the use of used frying oil as fuel. For Julien Bayou, EELV deputy from Paris behind the measure, “10 liters of used oil can give 8 liters of fuel.” But not all engines are compatible. Only diesel engines can run on such fuel, “in a mixture of up to 30% in diesel engines of old design and up to 100% subject to certain adaptations” according to the deputy, who assures that in France, “170 million liters of cooking oil are used in catering every year and less than 25% is recycled and recovered.”
During his speech in the hemicycle, Julien Bayou defended a fourfold advantage, in his eyes, of such a device: “question of purchasing power: a liter of frying oil, well recycled, well filtered , is much cheaper than a liter of fuel at the pump; climate issue, because it emits much less CO2; avoiding pollution from used oils: we don’t talk about it much but it’s a scourge for local authorities; element of energy independence: it is better to depend on the fries stalls of the North than on the oil of the oil monarchies.”
Can normal or simply used frying oil be used?
The adopted text refers only to used frying oil and not to conventional frying oil. Thus, oils produced from or derived from residues of fatty materials of plant or animal origin used for human food, in the food industry, in collective or commercial catering are included. It will therefore not be enough to go and buy your can of frying oil to start your car, if it is compatible. Make a (very) large tray of fries will be necessary beforehand.
At present, the ban on the use of frying oil as fuel is still in force, there is no real service station offering it for sale. However, citizen initiatives have emerged for several years, in particular via the association Roule ma frite which is trying to develop this fuel. If, nine years ago, the association declared to the World sell its liter at 0.70€ct to its members, the agglomeration community of Béthune-Bruay (Pas-de-Calais) announced in November 2021 to pay €1.30/litre to allow its garbage trucks to drive with used frying oil, as reported France Blue.
Not all vehicles can run on fuel made from used frying oil. First of all, this only concerns diesel engines. Gasoline engines are excluded from this type of fuel and cannot run on it. However, it is better to have a rather old diesel model, the new injectors can be damaged by this new fuel. And that’s not all on the mechanical side: the vehicle must have a Bosch injection pump, and only Bosch, as well as direct injection.
The transformation of used frying oil into fuel is not new in France, although illegal so far. Many people already use this process to fill their tank. But it is not enough to pour the used oil directly into the tank to start the engine. Certain steps are essential before you can run a vehicle on this fuel. Indeed, a decantation phase followed by vacuum filtration is necessary to separate the oil from the fats collected during the cooking of the food. Only after these steps can a ready-to-use oil be poured into an engine.