Uncertainties of the Biofuel Supply Chain Produced from Waste Cooking Oils in China

Waste cooking oils are promising feedstocks for producing biofuel to deal with the intense problems caused by the energy crisis and environmental pollution. However, the high-level uncertainty in the biofuel supply chain is the main bottleneck that limits its development. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework to address these uncertainties according to the process of the waste cooking oils biofuel supply chain (including waste cooking oils collection, biofuel production, biofuel sale, and logistics) as well as government policies and industry regulations. Meanwhile, the uncertainties of the waste cooking oils biofuel supply chain are compared to the other biofuels to distinguish their differences. Finally, the framework is applied to analyze the uncertainties of the waste cooking oils biofuel industry in China. The results help to promote the development of the waste cooking oils biofuel industry.