Most recycled cooking oil today is used to power diesel trucks or mixed with home heating fuel, a simpler conversion process.

BBC: Cooking oil powers transatlantic flights

The term refers to recycled cooking oil, which is often retrieved from drains where it is dumped by restaurants after use.

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Although some people make their own diesel at home from leftovers and recycled cooking oil, coffee-based biodiesel seems better suited to larger-scale processes.

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Although the sustainability of these alternative biofuels makes it an environmentally friendly option for progressive airlines, widespread adoption of recycled cooking oil requires that usage spreads, making the fuel more affordable for budget-strapped airlines.

BBC: Cooking oil powers transatlantic flights

And while the Dutch airline started regularly using recycled cooking oil on some commercial flights between Amsterdam and Paris in June 2011, this latest usage represents the first time biofuels will be used on a regular weekly schedule on transatlantic flights.

BBC: Cooking oil powers transatlantic flights

Flight AC991 from Toronto to Mexico City is expected to generate at least 40 per cent fewer emissions by using jet fuel derived from recycled cooking oil and through other fuel-saving measures, making it the most environmentally-friendly flight ever flown by Air Canada.

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