Eni and Hera partner on UCO to biofuel conversion for waste collection vehicles

In Italy, Eni and Hera signed a partnership agreement with the aim of converting used vegetable oil into biofuel for Hera’s waste collection vehicles. The partnership will allow the oil collected by Hera (800 tons in 2017) to be converted into Eni Green Diesel at Eni’s Venice bio-refinery.

The agreement revolves around household waste vegetable oil, such as that used for frying, collected by Hera in around 400 roadside containers and about 120 collection centres. It will be sent to the Eni bio-refinery in Porto Marghera, Venice. This is the first oil refinery in the world to be converted into a bio-refinery for the production of Green Diesel, a completely renewable product that accounts for 15% of Enidiesel+. This biofuel will power Hera’s urban waste collection vehicles.

“The refinery in Venice is the first in the world to be converted into a bio-refinery and will be joined in a few months by the Gela refinery, which is also being calibrated for the bio-cycle,” commented Giuseppe Ricci, Eni Chief Refining & Marketing Officer. “The agreement with Hera adds a significant component to our concrete commitment to the circular economy and reinforces the use of waste, specifically cooking oil, as an important raw material for producing the innovative fuel Enidiesel+ and as a replacement for the edible raw materials that are currently used.”