Eni and the Governorate of the Vatican City State sign an agreement to promote the circular economy

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Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.

European HVO producers are trying to ensure the supply of used cooking oil (UCO) from local sources in the knowledge that the market will be under pressure in the following year. The environmental issues related to palm oil and a growing interest in the circular economy are two of the reasons behind this movement. An interesting example led by Eni was covered by a previous Blog post (link below). In the same vein, the Italian company signed an agreement with the Governorate of the Vatican City State to promote the circular economy last month.
Press release: “Agreement with the Governorate of the Vatican City State to promote the circular economy”, 20/12/2018.
Related post: “HVO producers embrace circular economy – The cases of Eni and Neste”, 24/5/2017.

Figure 1. Eni and the Governorate of the Vatican City State have signed an agreement to promote the circular economy (taken from the Twitter account of Eni)

Eni's Venice and Gela biorefineries will recycle used cooking oil from restaurants in Vatican City. After undergoing a purification and regeneration process, the cooking oil will be used to produce Eni Diesel+ to power the Vatican City State transport. This high-quality product will help to limit atmospheric pollution from diesel vehicles. Lab tests have shown that the use of Eni Diesel+ reduces emissions by up to 40%, in particular nitrogen oxides.

The press release also confirms that:
- The Venice biorefinery has been producing biofuels using ever increasing quantities of used cooking oils, animal fats and other waste raw materials to replace vegetable oils certified for sustainability.
- The Gela biorefinery will be launched within the first quarter of 2019.

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