Suez and Total link up to collect and recycle used cooking oil in France

French waste management specialist Suez and oil giant Total have teamed up to collect and recycle used cooking oil in France.

As part of their ten-year partnership, Suez will supply 20,000 metric tonnes of used cooking oil a year to Total. Collected throughout France, the oil will be processed into biofuel at Total’s La Mede biorefinery.

In response to growing demand for biofuel, Total is transforming its La Mede site into France’s first biorefinery, one of the largest in Europe. The facility will produce biodiesel by refining used cooking oil, residual oil and vegetable oil. The high-quality biodiesel (HVO) will be easily blended into regular diesel in any proportion, with no adverse impact on fuel quality or engines.

At present, 45,000 tonnes a year of used cooking oil are collected in France, out of an estimated total of more than 100,000 tonnes. The partnership between Suez and Total will increase amount of used oil collected by more than 20 percent and improve its conversion through a short energy production loop beneficial for the environment.

Suez will deploy a France-wide oil collection and recycling system suitable for all types of producers, from consumers to the leading agri-food businesses. The oil will be transported to La Mede for preliminary treatment in a filtration unit built by Suez. 

Country-wide industry

Michel Charton, senior VP refining & base chemicals Europe of Total, said: “I am delighted by this innovative partnership with Suez. This industrial cooperation will allow us to establish a sustainable country-wide industry to recycle used cooking oil to produce biofuels.

“The partnership helps Total meet its ambition of being the responsible energy major. Renewable energies, especially biomass, are a critical adjunct to oil and gas in order to meet demand for transportation fuel while managing carbon emissions.”

Jean-Marc Boursier, senior executive VP of Suez, in charge of recycling & recovery Europe, added: “I am very proud of this partnership with Total. By helping to transform the La Mede industrial site, Suez is supporting Total’s ambitious environmental goals - which we share. As a partner of leading manufacturers in Europe and worldwide, we develop tailored solutions to make industrial ecology a reality by optimising the use of resources.

“Our collaboration with Total to process used cooking oil into biofuel is a successful illustration of the circular economy.”

Suez, a key player in the circular economy through sustainable resource management, supplies 92 million people with clean water and 65 million with wastewater treatment services. It collects the waste of nearly 34 million people, recycles 16 million tonnes of waste a year and produces 7 TWh of local and renewable energy. Suez reported revenue of € 15.1 billion in 2015.

This story was written by Liz Gyekye, editor at Biofuels International.