Joint Proposal for Japan's First Large-Scale Domestic SAF Production Selected in a Tokyo Project Promoting Recovery of Used Cooking Oil

August 3, 2023
Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.
JGC Holdings Corporation
Revo International Inc.

Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. has announced that a joint project proposal with JGC Holdings Corporation and Revo International Inc. has been selected by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) after a public call for proposals to promote recovery of used cooking oil for production of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF. An agreement with TMG was concluded today.

In efforts toward net-zero global CO₂ emissions by 2050, TMG is implementing the Zero Emission Tokyo Strategy, which promotes a shift to sustainable use of resources. Although procurement and use of SAF is being sought by the aviation industry in similar efforts toward carbon neutrality by 2050, the industry has faced challenges in procuring biomass and other raw materials for the sustainable fuel. To this end, TMG called for public proposals in April to help build a new supply chain that would expand collection of the potential feedstock of used cooking oil and link this supply to SAF production.

As selected by TMG, the three companies' joint proposal to promote recovery of used cooking oil for Japan's first large-scale domestic SAF production will facilitate recovery of used household cooking oil, apply used cooking oil from commercial operations in domestic SAF production, and support decarbonization through a circular economy in Japan.

Webpage of the TMG (in Japanese): Project proposal selected to promote recovery of used cooking oil

With TMG, project participants will pursue four initiatives from August this year to March 2026: collecting used household cooking oil, educating the public about SAF production and use, conducting SAF-related events and campaigns, and studying the feasibility of using this recovered cooking oil as a SAF feedstock.

1．Recovery of used household cooking oil

Project participants will call on municipalities, companies, and others for assistance in establishing collection sites for used household cooking oil. Viable sites will be convenient for residents to bring used oil to, such as related municipal facilities, service stations, or supermarkets. Recovered cooking oil will be collected by Revo International.

2．Education on SAF production and use

With municipal and corporate assistance, project participants will educate the public on production and use of SAF made with the domestic bio-resource of used cooking oil. As a specific example, with the cooperation of airline companies, students invited to hangars or similar areas at airport will learn how SAF is produced from used cooking oil in front of jets fueled this way.

3．SAF events and campaigns

Project participants will promote recovery of used cooking oil with assistance from companies that own commercial buildings or their own buildings by holding events to publicize cooking oil-derived SAF as part of the Fry to Fly Project supporting decarbonization through a circular economy in Japan.

4．Feasibility study on using the recovered cooking oil as a SAF feedstock

The three companies will conduct a sample survey to determine the feasibility of using the cooking oil collected around Tokyo as a feedstock at the large-scale SAF production demonstration plant under construction at the Cosmo Oil Sakai Refinery.* In particular, the level of impurities such as tempura bits and water and metal content will be checked to determine acceptability.

*Construction of this facility has been selected for funding by the national R&D agency New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization.

Looking ahead, Cosmo Oil, JGC Holdings, and Revo International will build on the momentum of this project's adoption by TMG to accelerate business development aimed at establishing a SAF supply chain and to support decarbonization through a circular economy in Japan. We are working to have a system in place to supply domestically produced SAF in 2025, when the world expo in Osaka will heighten global interest in future-minded initiatives.

Roles of the three companies

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