Original quick review: "gutter oil" has transformed into an "environmentally friendly meal" for aircraft. What other obstacles should we overcome?
Recently, Reuters reported that in the first half of this year, the United States imported about 1 million tons of waste meal oil (commonly known as "gutter oil"), of which imports from China accounted for about 60%. Why did the notorious "gutter oil" turn into a "hot cake" in the eyes of Americans?
It turns out that "gutter oil" is an important raw material for making biofuels, especially sustainable aviation fuels. Against the background of the global response to climate change, the aviation industry, which accounts for 2% of the world's total carbon emissions, is in urgent need of green transformation. The International Air Transport Association has proposed the goal of "achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050". Compared with traditional aviation fuels, the use of sustainable aviation fuels is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 60% to 80%. Promoting the use of sustainable aviation fuels has become a key measure to "decarbonize" the aviation industry.
Subject to special dietsXiDue to its influence, my country is a major producer of "gutter oil", with approximately 10 million tons of "gutter oil" produced domestically every year. If "gutter oil" can be made into sustainable aviation fuel and applied and promoted in my country's aviation industry, the carbon reduction will be considerable. Some people estimate that my country currently consumes more than 30 million tons of aviation fuel every year. If these are replaced with sustainable aviation fuel, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by about 55 million tons a year, which is equivalent to planting 500 million trees every year. This move will undoubtedly greatly help the realization of my country's "double carbon" strategic goals.
For my country, promoting the production and use of sustainable aviation fuels using "gutter oil" as raw material will also help completely solve the stubborn problem in the field of food safety that "gutter oil" flows back to the table. Over the years, although my country has introduced a number of institutional measures to regulate the disposal of "gutter oil" and multiple departments have jointly cracked down on illegal acquisition, processing and sales of "gutter oil", the phenomenon of "gutter oil" flowing back to the table has still been repeatedly prohibited. The reason is that "gutter oil" requires a lot of money to process. It is better to block it than drain it, and find a better place for the "gutter oil", and the worry of "gutter oil" flowing back to the table will naturally be solved.
In fact, my country has long begun to pay attention to this new use of "gutter oil". Relevant departments began to carry out research and development of sustainable aviation fuel technology many years ago. Now my country ranks first in this technical field. However, my country's sustainable aviation fuel production still faces problems such as lack of raw materials, low production, and high prices, which restrict the further application of sustainable aviation fuels.
From the perspective of raw materials, the large amount of "gutter oil" produced every year in my country has not been fully utilized. Studies have shown that my country's annual output of "gutter oil" has stabilized at 10 million tons, but the whereabouts of 5 million tons are unknown. Insufficient raw materials have also further affected sustainable aviation fuel production. At present, the annual production capacity of sustainable aviation fuel projects built in my country is about 200,000 tons, and there is still great development potential. It is urgent to establish and improve the "gutter oil" oil recycling system as soon as possible. This will not only effectively solve the problem of "gutter oil" flowing back to the table, but also ensure the supply of raw materials for sustainable aviation fuel.
The current price of sustainable aviation fuels is still too high, about three times that of ordinary aviation fuels, which also limits the application of sustainable aviation fuels. To this end, on the one hand, relevant departments should increase technological innovation and encourage production companies to achieve technological breakthroughs and reduce production costs as soon as possible; on the other hand, mandatory addition regulations for sustainable aviation fuel consumption should be introduced to promote sustainable aviation fuel consumption. The application of sustainable aviation fuel. Even if the aviation sector only mandates sustainable aviation fuel additions of 1% and 2%, it will still bring huge market demand.
Converting "gutter oil" into sustainable aviation fuel is the best destination for "gutter oil". The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council recently issued the "Opinions on Accelerating the Comprehensive Green Transformation of Economic and Social Development" emphasizing the need to "strengthen the research and development and application of sustainable aviation fuels." We must implement the requirements of the "Opinions" and take multiple measures to break down obstacles to the transformation of "gutter oil", promote the gorgeous transformation of "gutter oil", and allow more Chinese aircraft to eat "environmentally friendly meals."
