| Is there Kentucky Fried Fuel in your Future? | | | | Some people are doing more than looking, however. |
| By Diane Nassy | | | | One school district in Georgia is running their school |
| Thanks to a weird marriage between the National | | | | busses on chicken fat, and some trucking companies |
| Renderers Association, the people who turn animal fat | | | | are converting their diesel engine to burn vegetable oil. |
| into useful products, and the Environmental Protection | | | | It all seems to be working out quite well. Of course, |
| Agency's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards | | | | there will probably be a vegetable shortage next, and |
| , there is a possibility that your car could be burning | | | | we'll see Crisco hitting $5.00 per tub! |
| chicken or other animal fat in the next few years. | | | | Although it's not likely that your next off-the-lot car will |
| That's because these two agencies have been | | | | have "finger licking good" exhaust fumes, there is a |
| working together to advance the development of | | | | great need to develop fossil fuel alternatives. |
| petroleum-based fuel alternatives known as "biofuels". | | | | Researchers aren't just working with animal renderings |
| According to a jointly issued report, yellow grease, lard, | | | | and vegetable oil either. Experimental research is being |
| recycled cooking fat, and other animal-derived | | | | conducted with hay and agricultural wastes as well. |
| products have been shown in tests to perform as an | | | | Even chicken "droppings" are getting burned. |
| acceptable alternative to fossil fuels. | | | | Some companies are developing conversion kits that |
| So far the fatty fuels have been tested in boilers, | | | | will let ordinary gasoline engines run on animal fat or |
| trucks, busses, and some automobiles. The results | | | | vegetable oil. The average cost for a conversion kit |
| have been pretty impressive. In fact, the EPA has | | | | runs around $1,000, but the savings can add up pretty |
| issued guidelines for companies who want to convert | | | | quickly when you consider that many restaurants are |
| to biofuel to run their factories, power generating | | | | giving away their used fry grease for free. |
| plants, and diesel engines. The guidelines spell out what | | | | The main problem is finding ways to produce good |
| fuels can be replaced by biofuels and what incentives | | | | mileage results and developing engines that are able to |
| the government is offering to those who take the leap. | | | | handle the effects of non-petroleum fuels. These aren't |
| You can read the guidelines here at the EPA site ( | | | | overwhelming problems, but they still must be |
| None of this alternative fuel talk has escaped the | | | | addressed before biofuels become mainstream. And |
| attention of the automobile manufacturers, big oil | | | | for the conspiracy theory fans among us, there is |
| companies, or environmental groups. Everyone is | | | | always the possibility that "big oil" will do everything it |
| looking at the possibilities in order to find a way to | | | | can to stop biofuels from replacing their coveted black |
| make some money when all is said and done. | | | | gold. |