Filed under: Trends, Hybrids/Alternative
Biodiesel made from dead animals
Every time biodiesel is mentioned, everyone thinks of vegetable as its source. For this
reason,
environmental activist George Monbiot
argued against it, stating the farming of crops such as
palm trees would be worse than using fossil fuel in damaging the ecosphere.
But what would he say about running a car on a cow?
A Canadian company near Montreal has produced biodiesel from the remains of farms animals such as cows, pigs, and
chickens. Remains include bones and inedible entrails.
We can't wait to read Mr.Mobiot's response on recycling gizzards. Personally, we don't want to be downwind of such a
car.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jc 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
I can see the bumper stickers now:
'Don't tailgate me, my car runs on MAD COW biofuel'
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Brian 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
It has always been know that biodiesel could be made from animal fats and many people have done it. If I recall correctly vegetable oil based bio is preferable because it has a lower gelling point than that made from animal. There may be other differences but that is the main one.
This proccess appears to be different as it uses more than just the animal fats. I wonder it it uses a proccess like thermal depolymerization.
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Chris Meisenzahl 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
How about this ...
"We're only about 2 more possum short of a trip to the mall!"
Chris
http://amateureconblog.blogspot.com/
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number six 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
There is also the method invented in the United States which produces partly refined oil (essentially, heating oil, which can then be refined into gasoline or have additives put into it for diesel motor fuel) made from sewage, offal (animal leftovers) and garbage.
In fact, there is not only just a pilot plant in operation, but a huge Butterball turkey processing plant has an fuel production plant next to it in Missouri - right now.
Amazing, no?
See it for yourself. www.changingworldtech.com
And, no, I don't know why we haven't just adopted this system wholesale throughout the country. It would get rid of landfills (which is where much animal offal goes now), sewage plants could be converted to produce oil, etc.
Believe it - read it.
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Dinger 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
No such thing as "inedible entrails", you just need more hot sauce.
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olderty 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
Horsepowered!
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JS 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
Old New Autoblog. Some German guy though of this awhile back...but it was much more amusing because everyone thought his fuel was made of dead cats (sounds good to me as Cats suck something big and horrible) but he said the claim was debunk although the notion of dead animal's being turned into fuel is still around.
Does this make sense to anyone else? I mean fuel now is from dead Dino's from ages ago so why not just take the dead animals we have now and convert with the same process...just much much faster and viola....endless supply of fuel. Who knows, maybe one day we can take dead people and use them the same way!
New Bumper Sticker "My Car Runs on Saddam!"
(just kidding about the people part ;-)
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Bill 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
Well certainly it makes sense to take the parts of animals that are now simply thrown away (Though I don't think most commercial animals have alot of left overs.. either people consume it, its used for making products or pet food). It makes no sense to raise animals for the purpose of producing fuel since it would take many times the farm land to produce a gallon of bio-diesel that way than to simply raise rapseed or some other oil producing plant (and even many more times for the algae production).
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Tommy 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
How about people? I'm NOT kidding about the people part. They aren't using their integument and contents after their bioreactors cease to function. I'd be first in line to sign whatever to donate my body to fuel. At least whatever could not be used by others biologically. How about fecal matter? We produce plenty of that. Most American federal and local health departments frown on playing with people poop, though. I find our dependence on petroleum alarming. Our kids are not going to be able to run their cars on gasoline. They need alternatives, and I hope they can figure it out. We've fouled (had another adjective in mind, but didn't deem it appropriate)this up but good for them, and I sincerely hope they can fix it. I'm trying to arm my kids with the knowledge, ability and confidence to do so. Cultural taboo be damned, when the soul leaves it's just a bag of chemical goo. Another thing, I think we need to start burning our garbage for fuel. With the proper scrubbing technology, we could produce heat energy for power plants in a relatively clean manner. I realize that there are already some places doing this, but damned few, not enough. I know I'm going to hear from the proverbial environmentalist ( who probably drives a car, and heats, light their home and cooks food to eat), and some devout religious person who finds the dead body idea unpalatable. I find these points of view to be narrow minded and hypocritical. I consider myself to be something of an environmentalist, but I am NOT an extremist. All I'm saying is that we need to use wider latitude when deciding what gets recycled.
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Gary Blomquist 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
Oh yeh.........that's it.
Soylent Green is People!
Or is it Bio diesel is people!!!
How about giving body parts for transplants.......?
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bhtooefr 12:28AM (12/19/2005)
Interestingly, near where I live, they actually *TORE DOWN* a trash-burning power plant a year or two ago!
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