To Test New Tech, Researchers Churn an 800-Pound Butter Sculpture into Biodiesel

In a patriotic dairy-to-diesel demonstration project proving the breadth of fatty materials that can be converted into useable fuels, a Philadelphia biodiesel producer and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have turned a 362 kilogram butter sculpture of Ben Franklin and the Liberty Bell into 280 litres of biodiesel.

Dr. Michael J. Haas at the Department of Agriculture suggested they turn it into fuel, and biofuel maker BlackGold was brought aboard to handle the chemistry. Philly-based BlackGold has a process for turning a range of low-value fats and greases into biofuels – they recently put their technology into a first-of-its-kind plant in San Francisco that will turn pan scrapings and dirty restaurant greases into fuels – by shaving the glycerin from the fat molecules and replacing them with methanol molecules, creating diesel.While 180 litres of fuel from 362 kilograms of once-edible (and somewhat costly) food isn’t necessarily a great bang for buck, the demonstration turned out 183 more litres of fuel than would’ve been produced if the butter had been trashed. The Ag. Department and BlackGold aren’t suggesting the US start turning its vast butter resources into diesel, but simply that we turn more of our waste products into fuel (some of the agricultural waste that comes out of dairy farms might be a good place to start in this case).

In my opinion, the should to use biodiesel, it can help you and everyone in the wold. Moreover, you know about global warming right? yeahhhh that it .

http://www.popsci.com.au/