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- World Biofuel Day is observed every year on the 10th of August.It is observed by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas since 2015.
- The theme for this years Biofuel Day is “Production of Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil (UCO)”.
- The day is observed to create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels and highlight the various efforts made by Government in the biofuel sector.
- Biodiesel is a renewable, biodegradable fuel manufactured domestically from vegetable oils or animal fats.Biofuels have the benefits of reduction of import dependence,cleaner environment,additional income to farmers and employment generation.
- A number of initiatives have been undertaken to increase production and blending of biofuels since 2014.
- Used Cooking Oil(UCO) is a potential feedstock for biodiesel.The consumption of Used Cooking Oil(UCO) poses adverse health effects.During frying,several properties of oil are altered and Total Polar Compounds(TPC) are formed on repeated frying.
- The toxicity of these compounds is associated with several diseases such as (a)hypertension, (b)atherosclerosis (c)Alzheimer’s disease and (d)liver diseases.
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had launched RUCO (Repurpose Used Cooking Oil).It is an initiative that will enable collection and conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel.
- On this day,FSSAI will launch a sticker on Repurpose Used Cooking Oil(RUCO) and a mobile app to facilitate the collection of UCO shall also be released.
