Food waste reduction is fundamental for sustainable development and pursuing this goal, recycling and the valorization of used cooking oil (UCO) can play a major contribution. Although it has been traditionally used for biofuel production, the oleochemical potential of UCOs is vast. UCOs can be used as feedstock for a large variety of value-added green chemicals including plasticizers, binders, epoxides, surfactants, lubricants, polymers, biomaterials, and different building blocks. Thus, UCO transformation into functional chemicals can bring long-term stability to the supply chain, avoiding the current dependence on commodity products. In this regard, this work describes some of the potential benefits of using UCOs as feedstock in oleochemical biorefineries. In addition, some of the most recent investigations on the valorization of UCOs other than biofuel are presented. Finally, major challenges and future directions are discussed.

减少食物垃圾是可持续发展的基础，追求这一目标，废旧食用油（UCO）的回收和增值可以发挥重要作用。尽管传统上将其用于生物燃料生产，但UCO的油化学潜力巨大。UCO可用作多种增值绿色化学品的原料，包括增塑剂，粘合剂，环氧化物，表面活性剂，润滑剂，聚合物，生物材料和不同的结构单元。因此，UCO向功能化学品的转化可以为供应链带来长期稳定性，避免当前对商品的依赖。在这方面，这项工作描述了在油脂化学生物精炼厂中使用UCO作为原料的一些潜在好处。此外，介绍了有关生物燃料以外的UCO增值的一些最新调查。最后，讨论了主要挑战和未来方向。