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Hong Kong, China, Biofuels Activities

Outline map of Hong Kong.

Rapid urbanization in the past two decades had led to serious air pollution problems, with motor vehicle emissions being one of the most pressing. To cope with the situation, the government of Hong Kong has adopted many programs and measures focused on improving the fuel quality and efficiency, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) taxis and minibus programs, installation of particulate trap and oxidation catalytic converters, and introduction of ultra low-sulfur diesel. To relieve existing pollution, biofuels and especially biodiesel have also been considered in recent years.

Biodiesel feedstock available in Hong Kong is waste cooking oil and animal fats. About 10,000 liters of used cooking oil are produced every day in Hong Kong, which translates roughly into 3.5 million liters of biodiesel per year. There is one existing biodiesel production plant in Hong Kong, with a small output primarily for domestic consumption (annual capacity of 4.3 million liters). ASB Biodiesel, a joint venture company, is building a second plant near the Tseung Kwan O industrial area of Hong Kong. The plant will have a capacity of 114 million liters per year and it will use waste products including used cooking oil, waste animal fat and grease trap waste (restaurant sewage). The biodiesel produced will be for domestic consumption and export to Europe.

Hong Kong-based companies have invested in ethanol production projects in other parts of the world, such as Noble Group Ltd. in Brazil and Rapid Grow Investments in Fiji.

The government of Hong Kong encourages the use of biodiesel and plans to introduce a duty-free policy on its use. The Environmental Protection Department is developing specifications for biodiesel to ensure fuel quality, boost users' confidence, and help control the impact on environment. The government will further propose a mandatory labeling requirement for biodiesel blends above 5% to ensure their proper use in vehicles and increase awareness of some possible corrosion problems associated with higher blends.

Sources

  1. Koo, B.C.P. and Leung, D.Y.C., "Emission Testing on a Biodiesel Produced from Waste Animal Fats," Proceedings of the Third Asia-Pacific Conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Technologies, 2000
  2. Electrical and Mechanical Service Department (EMSD), The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region