Wakud, Modern Arabian partner for UCO-to-biodiesel in Oman

Wakud International LLC has signed a partnership agreement with Modern Arabian Projects LLC for the collection of used cooking oil (UCO) in Oman for conversion into biodiesel.

Photo: Green Fuels

Modern Arabian, the largest collector in the Sultanate, has been collecting UCO throughout the country for more than 14 years. Wakud is building a biofuels plant in Khazaen Economic City that will convert used cooking oil into biodiesel.

"We are humbled to have Modern Arabian as a partner," said Talal Hasan, Wakud chairman. "There has recently been a misconception that commercial establishments throw away their used cooking oil. This is not true thanks to the quiet work of Modern Arabian, which has contributed significantly to maintaining Oman's natural environment by collecting this feedstock for over a decade. Our ambition is to scale Wakud outside of Oman, and Modern Arabian, with its logistics expertise in the region, is ideally placed to help us achieve this."

Valerian Mathias, CEO of Modern Arabian, said, "We are excited to work with Wakud on this innovative solution to create a circular economy within Oman. We have the necessary infrastructure and feedstock to help Wakud with their mission of building a biofuels hub in Oman."

Earlier this year, Wakud announced plans to build a biofuel refinery in Khazaen Economic City, where infrastructure works are now well advanced. The project is a joint venture with Green Fuels, a biofuels technology company based in the U.K. Wakud is also one of the strategic projects supported by the Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit as well as EJAAD, a collaborative, Oman-based platform where industry, academia and government interact and engage in energy-related research and innovation activities. Wakud's mission is to develop a sustainable biofuels ecosystem in Oman, which is scheduled to be operational by Q2 2021.