China’s Waste Fryer Oil Is Starting to Clean Up Dirty US Diesel

China’s used cooking oil is starting to help US trucks run cleaner — and that’s even after it has traveled halfway around the world.

Makers of renewable diesel in the US imported about 530,000 barrels of used cooking oil from China in January and February, and they’re expected to bring in 239,000 barrels next month, according to analytics firm Kpler. The shipments are the first US imports of the oil in the firm’s data dating back to 2017.

The trade underscores a push by North American refiners to profit from government subsidies aimed at preventing catastrophic climate change. It ...