Alligator Fat Could Fill Your Gas Tank as Fuel

[Richland123]

Alligator Fat Could Fill Your Gas Tank as Fuel

Every year, about 15 million pounds of alligator fat is dumped into landfills as a byproduct of alligator meat processing. It would certainly be better to reuse this gloopy mess for a greater purpose, no? As it turns out, alligator fat is a prime candidate for animal-derived biodiesel, according to researchers in Louisiana.

Worldwide food shortages have been causing widespread famine this year, especially in the horn of Africa, which raises some questions about the efficacy (and fairness) of using food crops like corn and soybeans to make biofuels.

Food waste is a good alternative, and we’ve seen plenty of projects that use restaurant frying oil repurposed as biodiesel, for instance. But this does not come close to meeting the nation’s diesel needs — in 2008 alone, Americans consumed 45 billion gallons of diesel, according to the authors of this alligator study. Rendered animal fat could supplement food waste, but some animal fats are not very suitable for biofuel production.

Researchers at the University of Louisiana set about trying to determine if alligators could be a better source and knew alligator fat has a high lipid content, which could make it a strong biodiesel candidate. To test this hypothesis, the scientists obtained some frozen alligator samples from meat producers, and microwaved it to render the fat. They also used a chemical solvent.

Microwaving it resulted in a 61 percent recovery by weight, the researchers found. Just to be sure, they went ahead and refined some biodiesel, and found the oil’s fatty acid profile meets all the requirements for high-quality biodiesel — it has a little excess calcium and magnesium, but an improved refining process can dispense with that.

[Dr. Cheese]

Realistically, how much biofuel would that really make? 15 millions pounds sounds like a lot, but my guess is that it would be consumed pretty quickly by US cars.

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

Realistically, how much biofuel would that really make? 15 millions pounds sounds like a lot, but my guess is that it would be consumed pretty quickly by US cars.

yeah. I can't imagine the market for alligator being that big either.

[boynamedsuse]

Great. Let's start justifying using animal fat for fuel. Whaling would work too, right?





Your tax dollars (and those of donors to the University of Louisiana) at work.

[fmoore200]

It states that it would be used to supplement other alternative biofuel production methods.

Small steps are good, imo. Waste not, want not and all that.

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by fmoore200

It states that it would be used to supplement other alternative biofuel production methods.

Small steps are good, imo. Waste not, want not and all that.

I agree. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for it, but I'm not sure how much relief this would provide within the scope of our overall demand. Not saying don't use it. It's a hell of a lot better than throwing it out.

[boynamedsuse]

I am very skeptical when anyone says "it's for the good of the children" or "it will go to waste otherwise." For example, not that long ago, they started feeding chicken excrement to cattle because they "had to do something with it." Check it out on the Internet.

The point is, this is a nutty way to spend time and funds when alternatives a century or so more advanced technically than fuels for the internal combustion engine are available.

[ehque]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

It's a hell of a lot better than throwing it out.

This. Even if the process just broke even energy- and cost-wise, it's still 15 million pounds of waste kept out of your landfills a year.

[Jim Nazium]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

Realistically, how much biofuel would that really make? 15 millions pounds sounds like a lot, but my guess is that it would be consumed pretty quickly by US cars.

The article said they got 61% recoevry by weight, so .61 x 15 million pounds of gator fat = 9.1 million pounds of bio fuel =
1.3 million gallons (assuming the same weight as diesel, 7 lbs / gallon) = .003% of annual diesel consumption, using the figure in the article of 45 billion gallons / year.

Personally, I just want a bumper sticker that says "this car is running on alligator fat"

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

The article said they got 61% recoevry by weight, so .61 x 15 million pounds of gator fat = 9.1 million pounds of bio fuel =
1.3 million gallons (assuming the same weight as diesel, 7 lbs / gallon) = .003% of annual diesel consumption, using the figure in the article of 45 billion gallons / year.

Personally, I just want a bumper sticker that says "this car is running on alligator fat"

Get out of here with all that math and stuff. Just give me the bumper sticker.

[Richland123]

Gator Gas

[drteeth]

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

The article said they got 61% recoevry by weight, so .61 x 15 million pounds of gator fat = 9.1 million pounds of bio fuel =
1.3 million gallons (assuming the same weight as diesel, 7 lbs / gallon) = .003% of annual diesel consumption, using the figure in the article of 45 billion gallons / year.

Personally, I just want a bumper sticker that says "this car is running on alligator fat"

Which is not a negligible share of diesel consumption, considering that this is essentially waste processing.

[Thor]

Actually, alligator meat is considered in short supply. The trade could use more.

Gator is actually sold as part of the seafood trade along with frogs legs, (yeah, tastes like chicken...).

Typically, what we find in food science research today in the seafood processing industry are not studies how we can increase production of the number of animals wild caught, but how we can increase the utilization and yield of processing that is already being done. Many wild caught species, though often well managed, are near quota limits.

Gator is a domestic product, and increased utilization adds local jobs, and adds value to the animals taken for the fishermen who harvest them. The added benefit is the elimination of 15 million lbs -375 truckloads - of product from the waste stream and an incremental addition to the fuel supply. I personally look at this as a very effective use of research dollars and it is a very appropriate idea that appears to have all kinds of positives to it.

Sign me up for a bumper sticker, sounds like the TDI Jetta diesel wagon can burn that, no problem.

[Smokin' Toaster]

I want boynamedsue's 22nd century propulsion system, some nice gator sausage and gator flank steaks, and since I won't need the gator fat to run my 22nd century propulsion system, we can feed it to the whales or something.

Can I still have a bumper sticker?

[Bloodhammer]

Fascinating. We drill up oil from rotten dinosaurs and we use the fat of the ones that are still crawling around*... I feel like Fred Flintstone.












*I know that's completely scientifically incorrect, but it makes for a good joke/analogy.

[kserg]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

yeah. I can't imagine the market for alligator being that big either.

It should be, alligator is delicious!

[kserg]

Mmmmmmm...

[i_got_a_mohawk]

How many fat people die every year?

The rise in obesity could have a silver lining . . . .

[kserg]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

How many fat people die every year?

The rise in obesity could have a silver lining . . . .

IT'S PEOPLE!!!!

[boynamedsuse]

Originally Posted by Bloodhammer

Fascinating. We drill up oil from rotten dinosaurs and we use the fat of the ones that are still crawling around*... I feel like Fred Flintstone.






*I know that's completely scientifically incorrect, but it makes for a good joke/analogy.

Not that far off, actually. Archaeologists believe Deinosuchus looks/looked the same as today's alligator. Since most or all reptiles never stop growing during their lifetimes (I am pretty sure this is true), an alligator might reach that size if it lived long enough.