Nothing new under the sun? Potrzebie! These biofuels feedstocks set
records for ingenuity, sheer craziness and a liberal dose of “what, me
worry?“
Most of the stories we write on the subject of biofuels feedstocks fall into the well-established realms of normal. But every once in a while, a feedstock emerges that is so compellingly bizarre that we file the story away in our “yecch, ptooey!” file, ready for the round-up which forms our Top Story today.
None of the feedstocks may change the world, but some of them, though decidedly outside-the-box, have serious merit. Others…well, we offer them as cautionary tales. One thing they all share in common – we aren’t making any of this stuff up.
1. Human liposuction fat
It could only happen in LA, we suppose. In California a couple of years ago, the Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who used liposuctioned human fat to power two SUVs with biodiesel, faced an investigation from the California state public health authorities, for potential violation of a state law that prohibits the use of human medical waste for vehicle fuels. The “lipodiesel” controversy erupted when Dr Craig Bittner was sued by three patients for removing excessive fat and causing disfiguration. According to reports, Bittner, who closed his practice in November 2008, left the country for South America.
2. Fat Rustlers! Fats and oils, from the growing ring of Grease Thieves
Fryer oil is a cool feedstock, for sure – but when it spawns a crime wave, that’s when it tips over into the world of the bizarre. Last year, the National Renderers Association estimated that grease theft has risen to as much as six million pounds per year across North America, and as much as $1 million in lost revenues for members of (the other) NRA. The figures surfaced in an entertaining loom at grease theft published in City.ca, which looked at the rise of “grease rustling” in the context of a surge in yellow grease prices, from below $300 per tonne, to more than $900 per tonne today.
Read more: http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Biofuels/13-Strange-and-Interesting-Sources-of-Biofuel.html
Most of the stories we write on the subject of biofuels feedstocks fall into the well-established realms of normal. But every once in a while, a feedstock emerges that is so compellingly bizarre that we file the story away in our “yecch, ptooey!” file, ready for the round-up which forms our Top Story today.
None of the feedstocks may change the world, but some of them, though decidedly outside-the-box, have serious merit. Others…well, we offer them as cautionary tales. One thing they all share in common – we aren’t making any of this stuff up.
1. Human liposuction fat
It could only happen in LA, we suppose. In California a couple of years ago, the Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who used liposuctioned human fat to power two SUVs with biodiesel, faced an investigation from the California state public health authorities, for potential violation of a state law that prohibits the use of human medical waste for vehicle fuels. The “lipodiesel” controversy erupted when Dr Craig Bittner was sued by three patients for removing excessive fat and causing disfiguration. According to reports, Bittner, who closed his practice in November 2008, left the country for South America.
2. Fat Rustlers! Fats and oils, from the growing ring of Grease Thieves
Fryer oil is a cool feedstock, for sure – but when it spawns a crime wave, that’s when it tips over into the world of the bizarre. Last year, the National Renderers Association estimated that grease theft has risen to as much as six million pounds per year across North America, and as much as $1 million in lost revenues for members of (the other) NRA. The figures surfaced in an entertaining loom at grease theft published in City.ca, which looked at the rise of “grease rustling” in the context of a surge in yellow grease prices, from below $300 per tonne, to more than $900 per tonne today.
Read more: http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Biofuels/13-Strange-and-Interesting-Sources-of-Biofuel.html
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