Cooking oil is a pure fat that comes from plants and is liquid at room temperature. It is widely used in food preparation for frying, sautéing, or grilling. There are various types of cooking oil in the market such as corn oil, canola oil, olive oil, palm oil, and sunflower seed oil, each of which has different properties and uses according to the type of cooking and health needs. In addition to provide flavours and texture to food, cooking oil also plays an important role in health due to its saturated, unsaturated, and antioxidant fat content. For example, olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants that are good for the heart, while palm oil contains medium-chain fatty acids that are easily digestible. Choosing the right oil is important to ensure optimal cooking quality and health. In short, cooking oil is not only a basic ingredient in the kitchen but also an important component in the diet and food industry, with various types and functions that can be customized according to user needs.

Although cooking oil provides many benefits to human health, uncontrolled disposal of cooking oil waste will have a negative impact on the environment. The effects of cooking oil disposal to the environment will pollute river and sea water. Oil will form a layer on the surface of the water and will prevent oxygen from dissolving in water. This will threaten aquatic life such as fish and plankton that need oxygen to live. In addition, it will also disrupt the water drainage system. Oil can freeze in pipes and cause clogged channels and flash floods during heavy rain. Therefore, high costs are required for the maintenance of the sewer system. Furthermore, cooking oil waste disposed of in landfills will decompose and produce methane gas. Indirectly, it will contribute to global warming and ultimately increase greenhouse gases.

Therefore, various efforts have been carried out by Government bodies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to ensure that the disposal of waste cooking oil into the environment can be successfully curbed. Meanwhile, researchers from higher education institutions have conducted many studies on the advantages of waste cooking oil on the country's economic development and the environment. The collection of waste cooking oil can be a worthwhile economic opportunity through several main ways such as the use of the Arus Oil application which allows users to submit waste cooking oil and receive payment according to the market price. Arus Oil is a waste cooking oil recycling application which allows waste cooking oil from households and restaurants to recycle their waste cooking oil easily. Indirectly, it can be used as an easy and continuous source of additional income.

The recycling industry will use waste cooking oil to produce more environmentally friendly fuels that can replace fossil fuels. The production of fuels such as biodiesel and green diesel will not only reduce air pollution but will also open up new business opportunities in the green energy sector. Biodiesel produced from waste cooking oil contains methyl esters produced using the transesterification process [1]. The use of the biodiesel produced will usually be mixed with petroleum diesel such as B10, B20 and B30. Meanwhile, the production of green diesel will be produced through the deoxygenation or hydrogenation process [2]. The molecular structure produced is similar to petroleum diesel and can be used directly in diesel engines and indirectly, the production of green diesel is more user-friendly. In addition, green diesel will produce cleaner combustion and have low sulfur emissions. Our country has implemented the use of biodiesel with B5, B7 and B10. However, there is still no large-scale production of green diesel reported.

Furthermore, waste cooking oil can also be used to produce soap [3]. This process is known as saponification where a chemical reaction occurs between waste cooking oil and sodium hydroxide. In this process, the soap produced can be used to wash dishes, floors and light industrial equipment. The soap product produced is also free from harmful synthetic chemicals.

In conclusion, the collection of used cooking oil not only helps reduce environmental pollution but also opens up new profitable economic opportunities through recycling with the production of biodiesel, green diesel and soap making! Through this innovation, waste that is considered worthless can be converted into useful products that contribute to environmental sustainability and the development of a green economy.

 

References:

1. Khan F, Adami R, Iuliano M, et al (2026) Low-cost and sustainable electrocatalytic approach for the direct synthesis of biodiesel from waste cooking oil. Biomass Bioenergy 206:. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.108684
2. Reñones P, Mármol P, García-Pérez D, et al (2025) Efficient hydrodeoxygenation of used cooking oil using molybdenum phosphide on silica supports for sustainable green fuel production. Catal Today 459:. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115419
3. Soni H, Bhattu M, Verma M, et al (2024) From kitchen to cosmetics: Study on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of waste cooking oil-derived soap. J King Saud Univ Sci 36:. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2024.103483

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Date of Input: 29/01/2026 | Updated: 06/03/2026 | hasniah