DAVAO City is set to receive processing machines from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) by next year to process biodiesel fuel (BDF) out of used cooking oil.
In an interview Friday, September 30, with the Davao City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) head Engineer Eliza Madrazo said Jica has already approved the BDF project recently.
"By February or March next year, they will grant us the processing machines," she added.
Jica, according to Madrazo, offered the machines free of charge.
The group has chosen the city to pioneer this project in the country. If successful, Japan will offer it to other local government units.
The initial plan of the project is to power the garbage collection trucks or other City Government vehicles through the processed used cooking oil that will be converted to biodiesel fuel.
According to afdc.energy.gov, biodiesel improves fuel lubricity and raises the cetane number of the fuel. Diesel engines depend on the lubricity of the fuel to keep moving parts from wearing prematurely.
Government officials eye for the implementation of this program to save more funds, so they could use the money instead for other progressive projects.
Cenro currently has been collecting used cooking oil from barangays in the city.
Early January, former Davao City Mayor and President Rodrigo Duterte issued an executive order (EO) instituting a proper storage treatment, transport, export, processing and reprocessing, recycling and disposal of used cooking oil in the city.
Section 1 of the EO 32 signed by the mayor last December 15 and released by the City Mayor's Office last December 28 states that all people in Davao City, households, vendors, private, commercial or business establishment alike shall strictly comply with the requirements of Republic Act 6969, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Administrative Order 2013-22 and other applicable laws, rules, and regulations and issuances.
In section 2, the City Government in accordance with law is hereby directed to collect from all the persons, households, vendors, privates, commercial or business establishments with used cooking oil.
For this purpose, Cenro was identified as the lead implementing agency to institute steps to ensure the proper storage, treatment, transport, export, processing , reprocessing, recycling and disposal of used cooking oil.