India wastes 2.4 MT of cooking oil, 13 MT of crop residue that could fuel SAF exports: Report

New Delhi: India’s underutilised feedstock base — from used cooking oil to crop residues and emerging bio-energy crops like sweet sorghum — could be the decisive factor in scaling up sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report released at the India SAF Conclave 2025 on Monday said. But inefficiencies in collection, aggregation and supply chains are keeping the country from realising this advantage.

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The report, “A roadmap for scaling Sustainable Aviation Fuel in India”, prepared by Deloitte and the SAF Association, argues that fixing these gaps could allow India not only to meet its own aviation decarbonisation needs but also to emerge as a competitive exporter of SAF to global hubs.

UCO: a wasted opportunity

India generates an estimated 2.4 million tonnes of used cooking oil (UCO) annually, but the report finds that nearly 60 percent of this still re-enters the food chain improperly, despite existing disposal guidelines. About 65 percent of UCO comes from commercial kitchens, while the rest is scattered across households.

“Structured aggregation, quality control and traceability can convert this fragmented operating model into bankable volumes and support near-term HEFA scale-up in India,” the report says, referring to Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA), the most mature SAF pathway.

Crop residues: From stubble burning to aviation fuel

Agricultural residues form another major untapped resource. Each winter, millions of tonnes of paddy straw are burnt in northern India, causing severe air pollution. In 2021 alone, around 13 million tonnes of crop residue were burnt in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, according to the report.

If organised through marketplaces and aggregation models, this biomass could become a steady SAF feedstock while simultaneously reducing pollution. Pilot programmes in Haryana supported by Deloitte showed a reduction of 54 percent in stubble burning across 666 villages when residue collection was linked to end-user industries.

Sweet sorghum: A water-efficient ethanol crop

The report also highlights sweet sorghum as a potential ethanol crop to support Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) SAF pathways. While ethanol yields are lower (40–50 litres per tonne versus 70–90 litres for sugarcane), sorghum uses five times less water and has a shorter four-month crop cycle, making it attractive for semi-arid regions.

“Sweet sorghum can extend mill runs beyond the cane season and provide a more climate-resilient feedstock option for ethanol and SAF,” the report notes.

From inefficiencies to export strength

Currently, India’s feedstock supply chains remain fragmented and seasonal, deterring investment in large-scale SAF production. But the report argues that fixing these inefficiencies could turn liabilities into assets. Formalised UCO collection, stubble-to-fuel programmes, and adoption of water-efficient crops would create reliable, low-carbon feedstock streams.

With India already exporting 50 percent of its Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) production, the report concludes that surplus SAF production from these feedstocks could position India as a low-cost exporter to global hubs like Dubai and Amsterdam, where binding SAF mandates are tightening.

“India has the raw material base to become a SAF powerhouse. What remains is to formalise the chains that connect farmers, households and waste generators to the fuel producers,” the report stresses.

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