Leftover chicken fat may become biodiesel instead of soap

Some 2.3 billion pounds of chicken fat are left over every year from just the Tyson Foods operations. That could make 300 million gallons of biodiesel. Question is, who's going to handle the production? A couple of Missouri men want to use $5 million to build a plant to refine chicken fat near Dexter, Missouri. Tyson, which has a plant near Dexter, has also announced plans for a renewable energy division. Right now there doesn't seem to be any final decision from either side. Apparently chicken fat is cheaper than soybeans but it has problems of getting too thick in cold weather.

[Source: Christopher Leonard / Associated Press via Jackson Hole Star Tribune]