It is an idea as simple as it is revolutionary: transforming used cooking oil—the same oil employed for frying—into materials for the automotive industry. This is exactly what researchers are achieving through the BOOSTER, ECOFRIEND and REOBTAIN projects, developed within Spoke 11 of MOST. Their results and prototypes are now part of the communication activities of the CO-SMART project, funded under Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) within Mission 4 “Education and Research”, coordinated by the University of Pisa.
These are three distinct yet complementary projects sharing a common goal: valorising waste vegetable oil to contribute to the mobility of the future, by combining circular economy principles, materials innovation, and enhanced user comfort.
From waste to resource: used oil becomes polyol
At the technological heart of these projects lies the conversion of waste oil into “polyol”, a substance used in the production of flexible polyurethane foams, widely applied in car interiors.
Thanks to a chemical synthesis process developed within the BOOSTER project by the University of Pisa research group, it has been possible to produce flexible foams composed of 80% bio-based waste components.
The result is a lightweight foam, resistant to compression and with excellent elastic recovery—perfect for car seats, dashboards or door panels. Its performance and density are comparable to foams derived from fossil sources, but with a significantly reduced environmental impact.
Smart comfort: heat that regulates itself
The ECOFRIEND project has pushed innovation even further, introducing into the foams microcapsules of phase-change material (PCM) capable of absorbing and releasing heat in a controlled manner. These materials activate within the 30–40 °C range, helping maintain a stable cabin temperature despite external thermal fluctuations.
The outcome is twofold: greater comfort for drivers and passengers, and reduced load on the air conditioning system, leading to energy savings and lower indirect emissions. This technology combines well-being with sustainability, with enormous potential applications beyond automotive, such as in civil and environmental engineering.
Green lubrication: biolubricants from waste oil
Finally, the REOBTAIN project focuses on another derivative of used cooking oil: the production of biolubricants—oils with rheological and tribological properties suitable for lubricating mechanical components in both automotive and industrial contexts. Tests have shown that these lubricants maintain excellent viscous properties even at high temperatures, display strong chemical and thermal stability, and are suitable for applications such as fastening and tightening.
This is a rapidly expanding field, and REOBTAIN’s approach demonstrates how an integrated recovery supply chain can meet even the most complex technical requirements of the manufacturing sector.
Waste that creates value
What unites these three projects is a vision of circular economy: turning an environmental problem into a technological opportunity, transforming what today goes down a kitchen drain into functional, intelligent, and sustainable materials.
It is an idea as powerful as it is replicable, as underlined by Professor Maurizia Seggiani, coordinator of the CO-SMART project: “The challenge is not only scientific, but also cultural. Showing that waste can become innovation sends a strong message to industry, citizens and institutions alike.”
At a time when ecological transition and climate neutrality are at the centre of debate, BOOSTER, ECOFRIEND and REOBTAIN stand as concrete examples of applied circular economy, where the car of the future is also built starting from yesterday’s frying oil.
