Authors
Laura Talens Peiró, Gara Villalba Méndez, Xavier Gabarrell I Durany
Publication date
2008/7/1
Journal
Environmental science & technology
Volume
42
Issue
13
Pages
4977-4981
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Description
Used cooking oil (UCO) is a domestic waste generated daily by food industries, restaurants, and households. It is estimated that in Europe 5 kg of UCO are generated per inhabitant, totalling 2.5 million metric tons per year. Recovering UCO for the production of biodiesel offers a way of minimizing and avoiding this waste and related pollution. An exergy analysis of the integrated waste management (IWM) scheme for UCO is used to evaluate such a possibility by accounting for inputs and outputs in each stage, calculating the exergy loss and the resource input, and quantifying the possible improvements. The IWM includes the collection, pretreatment, and delivery of UCO and the production of biodiesel. The results show that the greatest exergy loss occurs during the transport stages (57%). Such exergy loss can be minimized to 20% by exploiting the full capacity of collecting vans and using biodiesel in the transport …
Total citations
20092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242297775734352532
Scholar articles