news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051130/ap_on_sc/chicken_fat_fuel
AP Researchers Convert Chicken Fat to Fuel Tue Nov 29, 8:42 PM ET FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Hoping to find an e fficient way to help power automobiles and trucks, researchers at the Un iversity of Arkansas say they have developed a way to convert chicken fa t to a biodiesel fuel.
"We're trying to expand the petroleum base," said Brian Mattingly, a grad uate student in chemical engineering. "Five to 20 percent blending of bi odiesel into petroleum-based diesel significantly reduces our dependence on foreign oil." Mattingly's research allows biodiesel producers to assess different mater ials to see what works best. Producers will be able to choose the best w ay to convert different grades of chicken fat into fuels. RE 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 soybea n oil because they are easier to convert to fuels. However, the refining process makes soybean oil more expensive and fuel producers must comp ete 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 cre ation of soap during the various chemical processes. In his studies, Mattingly used high-quality fat (less than 2 percent fatt y acid content) and low-quality, feed-grade fat (6 percent fatty acid co ntent) obtained from Tyson Foods Inc. The high-quality fat is more expensive than the feed-grade fat, but bo th are less expensive than soybean oil. It took different steps to refine the different fats, but it could be don e, Mattingly said. "The project demonstrated that there is a very fine line between facilita ting 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 i s too early to tell if making biodiesel fuel from chicken fat is economi cally feasible.
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