In China we are working with MotionEco, a company that seeks to transform used cooking oil into sustainable biofuels. At the moment used cooking oil is sometimes illegally re-sold to restaurants, where it can endanger health. Rather more productively, it can be collected and re-cycled into cleaner burning marine, road and air biofuels.

We are collaborating with MotionEco to help explore how we can simultaneously tackle the challenges of food safety, waste cooking oil and sustainable transport in a Chinese city region. 

The team at MotionECO
MotionECO's founder Shutong Liu (third from left) and his team

The problem

With China’s rapid economic development, air pollution has grown into a public health hazard. Its citizens also have to contend with five million tonnes of potentially harmful used cooking oil each year, which is regularly recycled back into the food system. This is an illegal trade that poses a significant health risk.

The solution

MotionECO seeks to transform used cooking oil into sustainable biofuels that can reduce greenhouse gases from air, road and marine transportation by as much as 85%. This simultaneously tackles challenges of food safety, waste cooking oil and pollution. 

The how

MotionECO starts by connecting waste cooking oil collectors with biodiesel producers. A large part of their role is then encouraging big transportation companies to switch to this eco-friendly fuel. Thankfully, since the first commercial flight powered by cooking oil in 2011, the world is waking up to the potential of this sustainable biofuel.

The help

MotionECO is receiving support from Shell to put their bright energy idea into action.

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