| 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.
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