The KLM Royal Dutch Airlines plans to buy old cooking oil collected from restaurant gutters in China for use as fuel in its commercial fleet.
SkyNRG, one of the airlines' investment companies, has already sent its staff to Qingdao to buy the oil, which will be partially refined before use as fuel.
According to the web news portal wantchinatimes.com, the firm plans to buy 120,000 tonnes of gutter oil every year.
Media reports say that many people in the country were afraid of eating at restaurants because of health issues posed by the use of gutter oil. Reports suggest that one-tenth of cooking oil in China is of the gutter variety.
Chinese technicians are now eager to learn how the oil is refined for use in planes.
"If we have the converting technique, then planes in China can also use the oil," said general manager of Qingdao Fresh Bio-Energy Technology Development Co.