Biodiesel (FAME): Feedstocks
Why used cooking oil is worth more than its fuel value
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Oil or fat is about 80-85% of the cost of FAME, so producers sit beside palm refineries, soy crushers or rapeseed crushers, or collect waste oils. Methanol adds the methyl group. Credits for waste feedstocks in the EU and California make UCO and tallow worth more than their fuel value.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO Palm oil | about 1.0 t oil per t FAME | main feedstock in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand | about 80-85% (indicative) | palm_oil tile; indicative |
| Soy Soybeans | about 1.0 t per t | main feedstock in the US, Brazil, Argentina | about 80-85% (indicative) | soybeans tile |
| Rs Rapeseed | about 1.0 t per t | EU's largest single feedstock (33% of FAME and HVO feedstock, 2025) | about 80-85% (indicative) | European Biodiesel Board Statistical Report 2025-2026 (Jun 2026) |
| Used cooking oil, tallow and other wastes | about 1.05-1.1 t per t (indicative) | low-carbon feedstock; UCO 16.5% of EU feedstock (2025) | about 75-85% (indicative) | European Biodiesel Board Statistical Report 2025-2026 (Jun 2026) |
| Methanol | about 0.1 t per t (indicative) | methyl group; biodiesel takes about 11% of North American methanol (methanol tile) | about 3-5% (indicative) | methanol tile |
Who is low-cost, and why
Indonesian palm biodiesel is cheapest at the plant gate but is subsidised by the export levy fund; Argentine and Brazilian soy biodiesel is next. EU rapeseed FAME and US soy FAME are higher cost and rely on mandates and credits; UCOME costs more than palm but earns the most credit value.
Raw materials on the commodity table
PO Palm oilSoy SoybeansRs RapeseedWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| Glyc Glycerine | about 0.1 t crude glycerine per t FAME, the largest source of world glycerine |
| FAl Fatty alcohols | methyl esters are hydrogenated to fatty alcohols |
| Srf Surfactants | methyl ester sulphonates (MES) |