Frying oils from the hotel and catering sector, currently represent a major environmental problem. Only a small percentage of these oils are collected as controlled release and is used as a raw material in the manufacture of soaps, however most of these residual oils represent an added burden for the wastewater of these industries, with the consequent environmental damage.
New processes allow the use of frying oils used as raw material for industrial bio-transformations to obtain value-added products, such as surfactants, additives for cosmetics, lubricants, food additives or hydraulic fluids. With this technology, it is intended to reduce the deterioration of the existing environment in the sector due to the discharges of these residual vegetable oils.
Using bio-fuels may sound a little crazy for some hotel owners because most hotels are located in crowded cities. However, if your hotel is based on a farm or in a rural area, you will have easy access to a large amount of organic waste, which allows you to take advantage of biodiesel once you convert the waste.
- The Hilton Stockholm Slussen, Sweden
The Hilton Stockholm Slussen, in Sweden, turns its organic waste into biodiesel at a nearby plant. Increasingly, the biodiesel that results from this and similar projects in Sweden are powering the nation’s vehicles.
2. Hotels in India
The food and safety department in Perambalur, India has identified 15 hotels in Perambalur district, India to hand over their used cooking oil to a private company for biodiesel production. The move aims at avoiding unhealthy cooking oil for being used repeatedly in food production. A locally based start-up collects the used fried oils from the hotels and converts them to biodiesel. The start-up is paid from the hotels for that service.
3. Sunway Hotels in Malaysia recycle the used cooking oil into biodiesel
Sunway Hotels & Resorts, the hospitality division of Malaysia’s Sunway Group, has teamed up with FatHopes Energy to recycle its used cooking oil into biodiesel.
Through the new initiative, over half of the participating Sunway Hotels’ used cooking oil will be collected and recycles by FatHopes Energy on a weekly basis at the hotels’ respective collection center, to then be converted into biodiesel.
The partnership includes six participating Sunway Hotels & Resorts in Malaysia, including Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, Sunway Pyramid Hotel and Sunway Clio Hotel located in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, Sunway Putra Hotel in Kuala Lumpur city center and Sunway Hotel Georgetown and Sunway Hotel Seberang Jaya in Penang.
The Malaysian hotel group reported that at least 50% of its used cooking oil is expected to be recycled into biodiesel. “Cooking oil in the hotel is used for various methods of cooking including as part of an ingredient in dishes and not just for deep frying,” Yeoh added. “However, with proper recycling, data monitoring and collection now in place with FatHopes Energy, our hotels can expect the percentage to increase in the long term.”