Used Cooking Oil Market Overview

Used Cooking Oil Market Size Was Valued at USD 7.64 Billion in 2023 and is Projected to Reach USD 11.95 Billion by 2032, Growing at a CAGR of 5.1% From 2024-2032.

• The global Used Cooking Oil (UCO) market is poised for significant growth, driven by increasing awareness of sustainable energy solutions and environmental conservation. UCO, derived from waste cooking oil, is gaining prominence in various applications, including biodiesel production, oleochemical products, and animal feed. Advancements in technology that enhance the conversion of UCO into high-quality refined oils are further fueling the market's expansion. Additionally, the burgeoning food and foodservice industries, which generate substantial quantities of used cooking oil, are playing a pivotal role in shaping market dynamics.
• A key driver of the UCO market is the global push towards renewable energy sources. Governments across the globe are implementing regulations and offering incentives to encourage the recycling of UCO for biodiesel production. Biodiesel, recognized for its eco-friendly properties, is an effective alternative to fossil fuels, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting renewable energy goals. This trend is particularly pronounced in regions like Europe and North America, where stringent environmental policies are promoting the adoption of biodiesel, thereby boosting the demand for UCO.
• The market is further bolstered by increasing government initiatives aimed at promoting the industrial utilization of UCO. From biodiesel to oleochemical products, UCO's versatility and potential to replace traditional resources in various industries highlight its importance in achieving sustainability goals. With technological advancements and growing awareness of environmental benefits, the UCO market is expected to thrive in the coming years, aligning with global efforts to transition to greener energy solutions.

Market Dynamics And Factors of Used Cooking Oil Market

Drivers:

Used Cooking Oil as Source of Energy

• Sustainable production methods for new generation fuels like biofuels and hydrogen are now being investigated more intently to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Due to the increasing depletion of fossil fuels, the concept of waste-to-energy is gaining traction. Alternative fuels, which are largely based on the waste-to-energy idea, typically use agricultural waste or other forms of used oils such as WCO (waste lubricating oil), used transformer oil, and used engine or gear oil as source materials. UCO is a possible raw material for energy generation because it produces biodiesel, bio methanol, hydrogen gas, H2/CO, and low molecular weight hydrocarbons like methane. These items can also be utilized to generate electricity or power vehicles or machinery. As a result, energy generation from UCO can be viewed as both a waste management approach and a useful form of energy recovery. Rudolph Diesel was the first to show that vegetable oils could be utilized to power motors. Dilution with diesel fuel or solvents, micro emulsification, Transesterification, and pyrolysis are some of the procedures used to improve the characteristics of UCO so that it can be used as a source of energy. The market is primarily driven by the rising demand for recycled UCO for biodiesel generation. The recycling process produces by-products that can be used to make soap and glycerin, increasing the demand for these items. Global biodiesel supply reached 39,654 million liters in 2015, according to the Biomass Board of Research and Development, and is predicted to reach 50,334 million liters by 2025.

Restraints:

• Excessive usage of used cooking oil can result in hazardous health issues for animals due to its use in animal feed products, which could stifle the market's expansion over the forecast period. However, an increase in used cooking oil theft and a lack of understanding about the proper use of used cooking oil are expected to stifle the market's growth in the coming years.

Opportunities:

• Used cooking oil provides a sustainable solution in the biofuel business and may also be used for animal feed, giving producers more options to promote used cooking oil in the market and capitalize on the market's potential growth. Furthermore, providing used cooking oil to rising countries can help to increase the global demand for used cooking oil. Spreading awareness about the possible solutions for used cooking oil could help to improve the growth of used cooking oil manufacturers, as well as the market for used cooking oil.

Market Segmentation

Segmentation Analysis of Used Cooking Oil Market:

• By Source, the food manufacture segment is anticipated to dominate the used cooking oil market over the forecast period. Restaurants and food businesses provide the majority of used cooking oil. To make many of our favorite snacks, deep fryers require vast vats of oil. To maintain food sanitary and fresh-tasting, this oil must be replenished regularly. Businesses are left with enormous amounts of waste oil due to continual refilling. Restaurants, diners, and fast food joints are the most common producers of business grease waste, according to most people. While SeQuential gets a lot of leftover cooking oil from places like these, you might be surprised at how many different oil recyclers there are. Oil is used in deep fryers and other food preparation in universities, schools, and corporate cafeterias. Food companies also generate a significant volume of leftover cooking oil behind the scenes. Oil is also required to manufacture potato chips, zoo corn dogs, amusement park funnel cakes, and other foods.
• By Application, the biodiesel segment is expected to register a significant market share over the forecast period. This is owing to the low cost of spent cooking oil compared to vegetable oil, which encourages biodiesel producers to utilize it as a primary feedstock in biodiesel manufacturing. As a result, the market for leftover cooking oil is growing. Furthermore, the manufacturing of biodiesel from spent cooking oil is increasing since it saves 21% of fossil energy when compared to crude oil and 96 percent of energy when compared to fossil diesel production. This has also made used cooking oil attractive among biodiesel producers, increasing its use in the manufacturing of biodiesel.

Regional Analysis of Used Cooking Oil Market:

• In Europe, the EU is also putting in significant efforts to boost biodiesel production. According to the European Commission, biodiesel will replace a significant portion of diesel usage in the EU27 by 2025. Governments in this region are developing legislation to encourage the collection and processing of waste cooking oils from cafés, restaurants, hotels, catering companies, and hotels. The expansion of the market in the region is also fueled by promotional initiatives in the region that raise awareness about the recycling of waste cooking oil. Furthermore, rising demand for biodiesel and increased awareness of animal health has driven the market's expansion in this region.
• Due to rising awareness about environmental welfare and sustainable energy resources, the market in the Asia Pacific is predicted to rise significantly. In this region, a rising number of enterprises are collecting, refining, and processing waste cooking oil, which will boost growth. To meet their raw material need for biodiesel manufacturing, companies in North America and Europe invest in UCO procurement from Asian countries. Market expansion is further aided by the evolution of the food and foodservice industry in the region.
• Many countries in the Middle East and Africa are moving from traditional energy sources to more efficient energy sources. Entrepreneurs in African countries, particularly those in informal and rural settlements, have a major chance to generate and resell biodiesel using cooking oil or food oils. A young entrepreneur in Zambia has developed his biodiesel business from 200 liters per month to 3,000 liters per month, supplying it to local consumers for use in automobiles and machinery. More projects like this are likely to increase the use of this oil in biodiesel production.

Players Covered In Used Cooking Oil Market are:

• Waste Oil Recyclers Inc. (US)
• Brocklesby Limited (UK)
• Greasecycle (US)
• Baker Commodities Inc. (US)
• Veolia Environnment S.A. (France)
• Darling Ingredients Inc. (US)
• Arrows Oils Ltd (UK)
• Olleco Ltd. (UK)
• Argent Energy (UK)
• Grand Natural Inc. (US)
• Averda (Dubai) and others major players.

Key Industry Developments in the Used Cooking Oil Market

• In November 2024, Darling Ingredients Inc., a global leader in transforming food waste into sustainable products, announced the launch of DarLinQ, an innovative technology enhancing used cooking oil (UCO) management. The system, powered by advanced sonar and Bluetooth technologies, provided real-time monitoring of UCO storage containers, enabling accurate oil-level tracking. This breakthrough improved operational efficiency, increased oil recovery, and enhanced security against theft. The DarLinQ system also optimized fleet operations and supported environmental sustainability.

• In February 2023, Olleco announced the opening of a state-of-the-art used cooking oil processing plant in East London at the Stolthaven Terminals facility in Dagenham. This milestone bolstered Olleco’s capacity to serve customers across the south-east of England while fostering new opportunities through its partnership with Olleco Bunge in the EU. The facility underscored Olleco’s commitment to sustainable innovation and enhanced its ability to support a circular economy.

Chapter 1: Introduction
 1.1 Research Objectives
 1.2 Research Methodology
 1.3 Research Process
 1.4 Scope and Coverage
  1.4.1 Market Definition
  1.4.2 Key Questions Answered
 1.5 Market Segmentation

Chapter 2:Executive Summary

Chapter 3:Growth Opportunities By Segment
 3.1 By Source
 3.2 By Application

Chapter 4: Market Landscape
 4.1 Porter's Five Forces Analysis
  4.1.1 Bargaining Power of Supplier
  4.1.2 Threat of New Entrants
  4.1.3 Threat of Substitutes
  4.1.4 Competitive Rivalry
  4.1.5 Bargaining Power Among Buyers
 4.2 Industry Value Chain Analysis
 4.3 Market Dynamics
  4.3.1 Drivers
  4.3.2 Restraints
  4.3.3 Opportunities
  4.5.4 Challenges
 4.4 Pestle Analysis
 4.5 Technological Roadmap
 4.6 Regulatory Landscape
 4.7 SWOT Analysis
 4.8 Price Trend Analysis
 4.9 Patent Analysis
 4.10 Analysis of the Impact of Covid-19
  4.10.1 Impact on the Overall Market
  4.10.2 Impact on the Supply Chain
  4.10.3 Impact on the Key Manufacturers
  4.10.4 Impact on the Pricing

Chapter 5: Used Cooking Oil Market by Source
 5.1 Used Cooking Oil Market Overview Snapshot and Growth Engine
 5.2 Used Cooking Oil Market Overview
 5.3 Food Manufacturers
  5.3.1 Introduction and Market Overview
  5.3.2 Historic and Forecasted Market Size (2017-2032F)
  5.3.3 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
  5.3.4 Food Manufacturers: Grographic Segmentation
 5.4 Household
  5.4.1 Introduction and Market Overview
  5.4.2 Historic and Forecasted Market Size (2017-2032F)
  5.4.3 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
  5.4.4 Household: Grographic Segmentation

Chapter 6: Used Cooking Oil Market by Application
 6.1 Used Cooking Oil Market Overview Snapshot and Growth Engine
 6.2 Used Cooking Oil Market Overview
 6.3 Biodiesel
  6.3.1 Introduction and Market Overview
  6.3.2 Historic and Forecasted Market Size (2017-2032F)
  6.3.3 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
  6.3.4 Biodiesel: Grographic Segmentation
 6.4 Oleochemical Products
  6.4.1 Introduction and Market Overview
  6.4.2 Historic and Forecasted Market Size (2017-2032F)
  6.4.3 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
  6.4.4 Oleochemical Products: Grographic Segmentation
 6.5 Animal Feed
  6.5.1 Introduction and Market Overview
  6.5.2 Historic and Forecasted Market Size (2017-2032F)
  6.5.3 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
  6.5.4 Animal Feed: Grographic Segmentation

Chapter 7: Company Profiles and Competitive Analysis
 7.1 Competitive Landscape
  7.1.1 Competitive Positioning
  7.1.2 Used Cooking Oil Sales and Market Share By Players
  7.1.3 Industry BCG Matrix
  7.1.4 Ansoff Matrix
  7.1.5 Used Cooking Oil Industry Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)
  7.1.6 Top 5 Used Cooking Oil Players Market Share
  7.1.7 Mergers and Acquisitions
  7.1.8 Business Strategies By Top Players
 7.2 WASTE OIL RECYCLERS INC.
  7.2.1 Company Overview
  7.2.2 Key Executives
  7.2.3 Company Snapshot
  7.2.4 Operating Business Segments
  7.2.5 Product Portfolio
  7.2.6 Business Performance
  7.2.7 Key Strategic Moves and Recent Developments
  7.2.8 SWOT Analysis
 7.3 BROCKLESBY LIMITED
 7.4 GREASECYCLE
 7.5 BAKER COMMODITIES INC.
 7.6 VEOLIA ENVIRONNMENT S.A.
 7.7 DARLING INGREDIENTS INC.
 7.8 ARROWS OILS LTD.
 7.9 OLLECO LTD.
 7.10 ARGENT ENERGY
 7.11 GRAND NATURAL INC.
 7.12 AVERDA
 7.13 OTHERS MAJOR PLAYERS

Chapter 8: Global Used Cooking Oil Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2032
 8.1 Market Overview
 8.2 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Source
  8.2.1 Food Manufacturers
  8.2.2 Household
 8.3 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Application
  8.3.1 Biodiesel
  8.3.2 Oleochemical Products
  8.3.3 Animal Feed

Chapter 9: North America Used Cooking Oil Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2032
 9.1 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
 9.2 Impact of Covid-19
 9.3 Key Players
 9.4 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
 9.4 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Source
  9.4.1 Food Manufacturers
  9.4.2 Household
 9.5 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Application
  9.5.1 Biodiesel
  9.5.2 Oleochemical Products
  9.5.3 Animal Feed
 9.6 Historic and Forecast Market Size by Country
  9.6.1 U.S.
  9.6.2 Canada
  9.6.3 Mexico

Chapter 10: Europe Used Cooking Oil Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2032
 10.1 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
 10.2 Impact of Covid-19
 10.3 Key Players
 10.4 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
 10.4 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Source
  10.4.1 Food Manufacturers
  10.4.2 Household
 10.5 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Application
  10.5.1 Biodiesel
  10.5.2 Oleochemical Products
  10.5.3 Animal Feed
 10.6 Historic and Forecast Market Size by Country
  10.6.1 Germany
  10.6.2 U.K.
  10.6.3 France
  10.6.4 Italy
  10.6.5 Russia
  10.6.6 Spain
  10.6.7 Rest of Europe

Chapter 11: Asia-Pacific Used Cooking Oil Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2032
 11.1 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
 11.2 Impact of Covid-19
 11.3 Key Players
 11.4 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
 11.4 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Source
  11.4.1 Food Manufacturers
  11.4.2 Household
 11.5 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Application
  11.5.1 Biodiesel
  11.5.2 Oleochemical Products
  11.5.3 Animal Feed
 11.6 Historic and Forecast Market Size by Country
  11.6.1 China
  11.6.2 India
  11.6.3 Japan
  11.6.4 Singapore
  11.6.5 Australia
  11.6.6 New Zealand
  11.6.7 Rest of APAC

Chapter 12: Middle East & Africa Used Cooking Oil Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2032
 12.1 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
 12.2 Impact of Covid-19
 12.3 Key Players
 12.4 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
 12.4 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Source
  12.4.1 Food Manufacturers
  12.4.2 Household
 12.5 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Application
  12.5.1 Biodiesel
  12.5.2 Oleochemical Products
  12.5.3 Animal Feed
 12.6 Historic and Forecast Market Size by Country
  12.6.1 Turkey
  12.6.2 Saudi Arabia
  12.6.3 Iran
  12.6.4 UAE
  12.6.5 Africa
  12.6.6 Rest of MEA

Chapter 13: South America Used Cooking Oil Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2032
 13.1 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
 13.2 Impact of Covid-19
 13.3 Key Players
 13.4 Key Market Trends, Growth Factors and Opportunities
 13.4 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Source
  13.4.1 Food Manufacturers
  13.4.2 Household
 13.5 Historic and Forecasted Market Size By Application
  13.5.1 Biodiesel
  13.5.2 Oleochemical Products
  13.5.3 Animal Feed
 13.6 Historic and Forecast Market Size by Country
  13.6.1 Brazil
  13.6.2 Argentina
  13.6.3 Rest of SA

Chapter 14 Investment Analysis

Chapter 15 Analyst Viewpoint and Conclusion