Posted on 11/30/2005 11:36:30 AM PST by NormsRevenge
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Fuel is the thing with feathers. Hoping to find an efficient way to help power automobiles and trucks, researchers at the University of Arkansas say they have developed a way to convert chicken fat to a biodiesel fuel.
"We're trying to expand the petroleum base," said Brian Mattingly, a graduate student in chemical engineering. "Five to 20 percent blending of biodiesel into petroleum-based diesel significantly reduces our dependence on foreign oil."
Mattingly's research allows biodiesel producers to assess different materials to see what works best. Producers will be able to choose the best way to convert different grades of chicken fat into fuels.
R.E. Babcock, a professor of chemical engineering, said chicken-fat fuels are better for the environment and the machines.
"They burn better, create less particulate matter and actually lubricate and clean things like cylinders, pistons and fuel lines," Babcock said.
Traditionally, biodiesel producers have used refined products like soybean oil because they are easier to convert to fuels. However, the refining process makes soybean oil more expensive — and fuel producers must compete with grocers for the oil supply.
Chicken fat can be a less-expensive substitute because it is available at a low cost. However, fatty acids in raw chicken fat can lead to the creation of soap during the various chemical processes.
In his studies, Mattingly used high-quality fat (less than 2 percent fatty acid content) and low-quality, feed-grade fat (6 percent fatty acid content) obtained from Tyson Foods Inc. plants in Clarksville and Scranton. The high-quality fat is more expensive than the feed-grade fat, but both are less expensive than soybean oil.
It took different steps to refine the different fats, but it could be done, Mattingly said.
"The project demonstrated that there is a very fine line between facilitating an adequate reaction and generating so much soap that the biodiesel yield is diminished," Mattingly said. "Basically, deciding which method to use comes down to economics."
Michael Popp, an associate professor of agricultural economics, said it is too early to tell if making biodiesel fuel from chicken fat is economically feasible.
Ew, think of the smell of future highway truckstops! (Or will they actually smell better than now?)
I like that tag line of yours. Great versus!!
Star Jones will be asked to power the Cleveland metro area.
Check it out:Garbage to Oil
"Fill 'er up with 93 clucktane and check the oil."
Let's see...
Chicken fat has a specific gravity of about .924 which means it takes about 7.392 lbs to make one gallon.
Rendered chicken fat runs about $10/lb.
Assuming no loss of mass in the refining process, that means the raw materials cost to make this new fuel would only be about $73.92/gal!
Cheap (cheep?) at twice the price, no?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1116843/posts
Earlier thread, waste from hog and turkey processing. Product is similar to light sweet crude.
Like FDR said, a chicken in every tank and a smelly car in every garage.
And then there's her butt: the bio-fuel equivalent of ANWR.
How much of an obstacle is the EPA in getting alt fuels to us? Don't they claim the power to dictate? What are thee animal fats used for now?
Sorry for taking so long to reply--yes, that was funny! I just beat you by 7 seconds. Great minds think alike.
Chicken fat is currently abou $0.50/lb for the higher quality (< 4% FFA) referenced above. High compared to the target selling price (current price of diesel), but nowhere near the $/gallon quoted in the comment.
It took a while before I even remembered this thread. As I recall, aside from my comment being mostly just a snide joke, I relied on retail food grade pricing for my calculations. The article didn't cite a price and I didn't have the inclination to contact commercial chicken farms to inquire about what they would charge for bulk quantities. I further reasoned that should the practice of fat -> fuel conversion went mainstream it would skyrocket the price to rival retail levels.
For the record here's the source of my price estimate:
http://lowesfoods.grocerydirect.com/pd/Empire_Kosher/Rendered_Chicken_Fat/7_oz/00071627008090?clksrc=gproduct
Priced at $3.79 per 7 oz. package it works out to about $8.60/lb, a little less than what I came up with oh those many years ago.
Cheers!
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