MikeLigalig.com

DAVAO CITY – The city government on Friday launched a three-month test run of 30 public utility vehicles and four garbage collection trucks of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) to determine the viability and sustainability of using recycled cooking oil into biodiesel fuel.

The biodiesel project is an initiative of the city government with the help of the Japan International Cooperating Agency (Jica) using the technology of recycling used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel. It is the technology offered to the city government for free by Biomass Japan Inc. and Shinozaki Transport Warehouse Co. Ltd.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who led Friday’s launching, said the test run will be for three months from September to November using four of the city’s garbage trucks and 30 public utility vehicles of the Southeastern Mindanao Diversified Drivers and Operators Cooperative (SEMDDOC).

The mayor said the biodiesel fuel is sold at P16 per liter or lower by 50 per cent of the diesel fuel sold by fuel companies at P32 per liter. Duterte-Carpio said using the biodiesel fuel would benefit consumers and even the city government in terms of fuel expenses.

Under the project, the city government piloted the collection of used cooking oil from households and establishments from 10 barangays in the first district as collection points.

It will not only protect the environment but de-clog canals given that used cooking oil is dumped into canals. According to a survey conducted in 2009, 65 per cent of air pollution is attributed to the emission from automobiles, especially from jeepneys equipped with old diesel engine which emit exhaust gases.

Citing a report from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in 2005, the city government said that more than 30 per cent of water pollution is attributed to waste water from households including the illegal disposal of used cooking oil.

In December 2015, former mayor now President Rodrigo Duterte issued an executive order prohibiting the dumping of used cooking oil into the environment and tasked Cenro to collect used cooking oil from establishments and households.

Meanwhile, under the agreement, Jica will provide the equipment that will be used for the recycling process while the city government provides the site which is temporarily located at CENRO’s composting facility in Maa.

According to Shegito Mizumoto, the trainor of Japan Biomass, the Davao city government is sole LGU recipient of the biodiesel project. JICA chose Davao as a pilot area for this project because of its efficient enforcement of local legislation.

Mizumoto said Biomass Japan will provide the training and the technology which costs about P10 million. But the technology is given to the city for free. Biomass Japan will install the facility and train the operational and maintenance staff of CENRO.

The machine can produce 3,000 liters of biodiesel per day. The 1,000 liters used cooking oil is equivalent to 900 liters biodiesel fuel. The project came following the visit of city officials to Japan in September last year for a five-day orientation and observation of Japan’s biodiesel project.

In that visit, residents voluntarily brought their used cooking oil to a village hall where a container is provided for used cooking oil collection. The fuel generated from the technology is used by some companies in Japan.

Earlier, Director and Consul Tomoko Dodo of the Consular Office of Japan in the city said the success of the Bio Diesel Fuel production between Japan and Davao will make the latter a model city in the global arena since this is the first time that Japan will be bringing out this technology outside the country.

“We have done it in Japan and we are confident that this can also be done in Davao City. And if it is good then we want to expand to the other areas,” Dodo earlier said. (PNA)



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