A SWOT analysis of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil

Abstract

Biodiesel is a renewable and environmentally beneficial energy which has a variety of raw materials. Waste cooking oil (WCO) as one of the feedstocks has advantages not only in the environmental aspect, but also in the economy. With the increasing attention on the use of WCO for biodiesel production, some drawbacks are encountered as well. This paper aims at using SWOT analysis to find out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of WCO as a raw material for biodiesel production. Results show strengths including guaranteed food security, energy security, and positive impact on the environment as well as offering direct and indirect jobs. The weaknesses include complex production process, low recovery rate of WCO and high standards demand for WCO as a raw material. Biodiesel produced from WCO is capable of dealing with the increasing concern of environmental protection and the demand for renewable energy. Moreover, governments have been making laws and regulations to support its development. These mentioned above are all the opportunities with the use of biodiesel. Lack of efficient economic incentive, other energy sources competitors and a small market for biodiesel can be threats for its development.