Biodiesel

23 August 2011

In recent years people were very busy with finding new ways to create cheap biodiesel. Now, even it may sound weird, researchers from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette announced that they found a way to produce biodiesel using Alligator lipids (fat).

Every year alligator skin and meat industry throws away over 15 million pounds of alligator fat considering it as a non-usable byproduct. But why we have to trow this fat when we could power our cars with it? Think about it. It may even become a very popular and successful brand among biodiesel producers.

Researchers explained that no one should start farming and butchering alligators for their fat, but only using the existing fat correctly. As I said before, those 15 million pounds of fat could be turned into 1.25 million gallons of fuel. Even if this is like a drop in the ocean, processed correctly, our gator-fuel could represent nearly 5% of U.S. biodeisel production.

All we need to do is to put it into a microwave, treat it with some chemical solvents and this will turn about 61% of the fat into usable fuel. When all this 61% will be refined, it could be 91% as efficient as petroleum-based fuel.

For the moment, U.S. produces around 300 million gallons of biodiesel every year, so our alligator-fuel will represent only a small percentage of this biodiesel production, but recycling is a good thing and it have to be encouraged.

http://www.mygreentreasure.com/2011/08/alligator-fat-biodiesel/#mor...