Energy News

Chips for Fuel

Researchers have developed a process that converts used french-fry oil into a cleaner alternative fuel known as biodiesel.
The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) reports that a new biodiesel processing method has been developed by researchers Bob Fox and Dan Ginosaur.

Biodiesels have a lot of advantages. They burn more completely than petrodiesels (made from petroleum), so they give off less pollution and are free of many of the harmful compounds found in petroleum-based fuels. On top of that, when they are burned, they give off the odor of fried chicken!

So why aren't biodiesels more popular? The current method of producing biodiesels is both time-consuming and expensive. The process also creates a worthless by-product, a low-grade glycerol. Fox and Ginosaur have developed a method that is faster and produces a higher-grade biodiesel and a high-quality glycerol as well. Sales of the glycerol could pay for the whole process and bring the price of biodiesel down to that of petrodiesel.