Eco-efficiency Level of Production Process of Waste Cooking Oil to be Biodiesel with Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

Lack of awareness and knowledge of environmental protection, many people discard cooking oil waste. According to several studies, cooking oil waste can be processed into more valuable products through certain processes that require energy and material. Biodiesel is an example. Beside biodiesel, the production process also produces non-product output. Thus, efforts to utilize cooking oil waste into more valuable products also have a negative impact on the environment. This study aims to measure the environmental impact of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil and compare it if it is discharged to landfill without the recycling process. Measurement of environmental impacts is carried out using a Life Cycle Assessment. Measurement of the environmental impact of biodiesel processing from cooking oil waste is based on a process carried out at a research institute. The measurement results state that the disposal of cooking oil waste has an adverse effect on the ecotoxicity category. Whereas the processing of cooking oil waste into biodiesel has advantages in the categories of climate change, the formation of photochemical oxidants, fine dust, oil and gas depletion, and water pressure indicators. the level of eco efficiency from processing waste cooking oil to biodiesel produces a value close to one which means that the production process is affordable but not yet sustainable.