Development and Installation of Waste Cooking Oil Recycling Equipment - Yaku Town, Kumage-gun, Kagoshima Prefecture (July 1999-December 2024)

Development and Installation of Waste Cooking Oil Recycling Equipment - Yaku Town, Kumage-gun, Kagoshima Prefecture (July 1999-December 2024)

In Yaku Town, Kumage-gun, Kagoshima Prefecture, a device to recycle waste cooking oil as an alternative fuel for diesel engines was developed in the late 1990s. This equipment refines used cooking oil and reuses it as fuel for diesel engines. It does not emit sulfur oxides (SOx), and black smoke emissions have been reduced to one-third of conventional levels. As a result of cooperation between Kagoshima University and local companies, the system has been introduced to public buses and agricultural machinery, resulting in a 20% reduction in annual fuel costs for the region and achieving both environmental protection and economic benefits.

**Efforts in the 2000s**.
In the 2000s, Yakushima's waste cooking oil recycling technology began to take off in earnest: in 2003, the **Yakushima Environmental Energy Center** was established and facilities began operating to process approximately 10,000 liters of waste cooking oil annually. The refined biodiesel fuel (BDF) was used for buses of Yakushima Kotsu Co., Ltd. and agricultural equipment of Yakushima Agricultural Cooperative Association, helping to reduce fuel transportation costs. Furthermore, a collection system for waste cooking oil was established, and the amount collected from local restaurants and households reached approximately 8 tons per year. 2005 saw the start of an experiment to use recycled fuel as marine fuel for the tourism industry, contributing to the development of a sustainable tourism industry.

**Development in the 2010s**.
In the 2010s, the technology for recycling waste cooking oil became more sophisticated: in 2012, **Yakushima Eco-Energy Corporation** installed a plant to produce biodiesel fuel, increasing its processing capacity to about 30,000 liters per year. In 2015, a campaign to collect waste cooking oil was conducted for local residents and tourists, and the annual amount collected exceeded 12 tons.

In 2013, Yakucho was honored by the Ministry of the Environment as a "recycling-oriented regional model," bringing the waste cooking oil recycling system to national attention. Fuel made from waste cooking oil has become an integral part of local industry and transportation infrastructure, and is now widely recognized as part of "eco-tourism" in the tourism industry.

**Current Status in the 2020s**.
In the 2020s, Yakushima's waste cooking oil recycling became even more efficient with the introduction of technological innovation and digital management. Yakushima Eco-Energy Corporation introduced an AI-based waste oil collection system that has improved collection efficiency by 20%; as of 2023, the annual processing volume has reached approximately 50,000 liters, and the system is operating stably as a source of fuel for Yakushima Transportation Company and a local agricultural cooperative. The recycled fuel is also used to supply electricity to Yakushima, and a biomass power plant is now in operation.

Thus, in Yakucho, starting with technological development in the 1990s, followed by popularization in the 2000s and advancement in the 2010s, waste cooking oil recycling has taken root in the entire local community by the 2020s. Going forward, the town is expected to continue its efforts to maximize the use of local resources and achieve both environmental conservation and sustainable economic development.