It made me simultaneously giggle and wince when I read that a bio-fuel study conducted by NASA is testing chicken fat as an alternative renewable jet fuel source.
Researchers are using a NASA DC-8 to test what they call “Hydrotreated Renewable Jet Fuel.” “It’s made out of chicken fat, actually,” said Bruce Anderson, AAFEX II project scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center. Performance and emissions are being tested as part of the experiment called Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment II, or AAFEX II. 17 organizations from private industry, other federal organizations, and academia are participating in AAFEX II.
"The use of alternative fuels, including biofuels, in aircraft is a key element for substantially reducing the impact of aviation on the environment and for reducing the dependency on foreign petroleum," said Glenn's Ruben Del Rosario, manager of NASA's Subsonic Fixed Wing Project, which is conducting the tests.
The U.S. military has set a target of using 50 percent biofuels for their airplanes. Some military cargo and fighter airplanes already use alternative fuels and the Air Force is working on certifying its fleet to operate on a 50 percent blend of the same fuels used in the AAFEX II experiments.
"The Air Force bought many thousands of gallons of this to burn in some of their jets and provided about 8,000 gallons (30,283 liters) to NASA for this experiment," said Anderson.
It made me think, how many chickens were killed to produce thousands of gallons of fuel? It simply appears to me a strange source of renewable fuel. And why is the aviation community targeting these poor non-flying birds?
Ever since the first recorded bird strike fatality in 1912, engineers have tried to figure out the best structural design and materials to prevent a catastrophic even in case of a bird strike. And even though it couldn’t possibly cause such an event, the chicken was selected as the test subject for structural testing when the chicken gun was developed in 1972. Frozen chickens are shot with various velocities at windshields, leading edges and engines to see how much force the structural components can withstand.
While chickens being shot at metal components with a ballistic gun are unlikely to be put on a dinner plate, perhaps, since the jet fuel is produced by chicken fat, the rest of the bird can end up in a curry or stew. Personally, I’m not a fan of the fat, so if chickens can feed us and our jet airplanes, more power to them!
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All Comments
Pia, no chickens were harmed specifically for conversion to aviation fuels. Chicken fat is a byproduct of the chicken processing industry. When you convert a chicken into legs, thighs, boneless/skinless breasts etc. for market you have a LOT of chicken fat left behind which must be disposed of. In the past it most went to hog feed or waste. Now it may be converted to aviation fuels. Like you say, we're not fans of the fat either. Let's put it to good use.
Sorry, I'm not buying into any of this bio-fuel stuff. This is nothing but an effort to incrementally revert us back to the stone age.
Aside from that, the emperor has no clothes and the sky isn't falling either!
I have burned chicken fat diesel in both of my diesel cars. It is great. The engine loves this alternative. Problem running 100% chicken fat bio under 40 degrees. Great if it is mixed.
This is a great feed stock for bio diesel. Soy beans is not a viable choice for long term.
We should be using ever available source for producing bio diesel.
For every gallon of bio diesel we use it is a gallon of fuel we are not having to import.
Cars in Europe are well over 50% diesel. Any car you see here in the US there is a diesel version in Europe.
Ford has a diesel in Europe that get 65 MPG. Why is it not for sale in the US
China has leased over 1 million acres of land around the world for growing algae for diesel fuel.
I get upto 50 MPG in my Jetta Diesel wagon.
GO Bio Diesel
Energy independence should be our top priority.
Bio-diesel (and all of its kindred products) are proven "pour-and-go" products! Flight rated fuels must meet purity, lubricity, viscosity, clouding and jelling standards -- just like Jet A, and bio-fuels can be manufactured from a wide assortment of domestic agricultural and food industry waste products. I suppose some Luddites prefer sending BILLIONS of US dollars to foreign countries to swill down their fossil hydrocarbons, but it just makes balance-of-trade, national security, job creation and environmental sense to grow, synthesize and manufacture as much transportation fuel as we can domestically. [For the "Drill, *Infantile*, Drill" crowd, do a little research -- you'll quickly find that 1) there is, at best, about three years of proven reserves (at current rates of consumption) untapped within US territories, and 2) petroleum is the ultimate *fungible* commodity -- that is to say, any extra crude produced will be sold *ON GLOBAL MARKETS, AT GLOBAL MARKET RATES". Additional domestic production will not guarantee a single extra gallon of fuel available to American consumers or a single penny of cost reduction. Now that global demand is increasingly outstripping supply -- from ALL GLOBAL SOURCES -- market economics dictate increasing prices for any predictable future, especially now that China is officially "the 800 gorilla" in the fossil fuels -- and all other commodities - market! The only hope for reducing real costs to consumers is 1) reduce demand, and 2) create a diverse portfolio of transportation fuel options. If you like high prices, keep sucking up to petroleum and impeding the rapid and wide scale commercialization of non-petroleum alternatives! ]
Also, there are highly developed thermal-decomposition and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis technologies being used in medium-scale commercial production that can turn almost any plant or animal product into almost any petroleum product substitute.
The ONLY reason to impeded (non-ethanol) biofuels is to line the pockets of the Petroleum Industry. (The more you discover about the oil and gas industries, the most disgusted you'll become!) We, of course, need transportation fuels to maintain our standard of living, but there is absolutely no technical reason why these have to be derived from fossil hydrocarbons. For some, however, there's no fuel like an Old Fuel!
How many chickens does it take to produce a gallon of bio jet fuel? It takes approximately 25 pounds of corn to produce a gallon of ethanol. The US produces about 600 billion pounds of corn annually. If ALL the corn grown in the US was used for ethanol, we could produce 24 billion gallons annually. That sound like a lot until you discover here in the US we burn about 380 million gallons of gasoline... A DAY! Al Gore even had to confess that ethanol was a bad idea. Bio fuel fanatics seem to have no grasp of the big picture. US airlines burn around 16 billion gallons of jet fuel annually. So, how many chickens is that? Researchers seem to be able to do the math when it comes to grants and handouts, but get myopia when it come to feasible applications.
LandPilot - you're a lone voice of reason in the sea of corrupted tax-money-grabbing politicians and corporations exploiting uneducated masses green enthusiasm :)
For example, green aliens around here even would like to believe that "electrical" car you plug into garage wall outlet is such a swell and clean idea, forgetting that 50% of US electricity is generated by burning the dirtiest fuel - coal. And nobody counts enviromental damage from production and disposal of huge hi-capacity batteries. Apparently nobody learned in school that multiple stages of energy conversion with very low efficiency are horrendously ineffcient ways to use energy. 30% after 30% is just 9%, etc.
Renewable bio is just a hoax for naive and a profit for "enetrepreneral" buddies of politicians exploiting the naives. All biomass on Earth is just low-efficiency converter of solar energy into chemical storage. Anything directly converting solar energy to consumable energy would beat anything bio hands down. Instead of covering acres with pools with algae you'd be ultimately better of covering these acres with solar batteries. But even if all suitable land on Eareth would be covered in solar batteries it would not satisfy planetary needs even close....
As far as gasoline prices go - I think it's obvious for anybody but blind that most of the price of the crude - is pure financial speculation that is used by international global corporate gangs free of any state regulations to create snow ski resorts in the hottest deserts, Bahrain(now Chinese)-owned Cirrus, Brunei-owned Piper, multiple bedroom golden flying houses in huge Boeings, barocco palaces in Russia, etc.
Price of energy is primary in any technological civilization - it can be declared theoreticaly to $1 (unit) forever and everything else can be derived from it by the market. "Free-market", "demand/supply" here is nothing but the popular way to explain away the global robbery and blackmail by robbers to those who are being robbed...
True solutions for planetary needs for clean renewable energy are in space - but if you didn't notice the current adminstration of once shining city on the hill for humanity, US of A, stopped and retired alltogether manned space program recently. No more future. Nothing. That's when you know that you're third world country already.... All we can do is to keep growing corn, make liquor and fat chickens.
I'm one "green enthusiast" who is sick of funneling money to tax-subsidized petroleum companies and repressive governments in nations where America is reviled. America's energy future will, by necessity, consist of a diverse portfolio of "energy carrier" options, each chosen for its efficiency and appropriateness for the local conditions. But first and foremost, GREATER EFFICIENCY is the least expensive way to lessen our expenditures for energy. Saying that this fuel or that energy system cannot make any difference because "American consume X-and-so million gallons of gasoline per day" begs the fundamental assumption. It may be impossible to feed 100 *gluttons* on a small desert island, but 100 individuals with reasonable body weights might be able to survive comfortably -- though not luxuriously -- on that same island's limited resources. The same goes for America's energy gluttony. There are exceedingly few individuals who *need* an Escalade or a Suburban for daily transportation. Reasonable and reputable sources have calculated that America could maintain a identical standard of living on one-third less energy -- we're simply a wasteful people! We can keep our cars... and still afford to fuel them... if they get 50 miles per gallon. If your ego demands that you drive a Road Hog Behemoth 2012, then you have no right to complain when gasoline costs $5.oo per gallon. (No one made you buy the gas-guzzling beast... you simply convinced yourself that you "deserved" nothing less because you could afford the payments. Well good on you. Now, enjoy paying to fill the tank! There's no Constitutional guarantee for cheap fuel prices... and the Global Commodities Market doesn't care what you *want*.)
Greater efficiency and a diverse portfolio of fuels is doable and ultimately the only way to stave off economic decline. But don't take my word for it, just wait and see.
The main reason that there are not more diesel vehicles in the U.S. is that there is not enough diesel fuel available here. Diesel fuel is far simpler in form than gasoline. It should be cheaper than gasoline. European refineries are built quite differently compared to U.S. refineries and their output favors diesel. Their plants are also much newer. There has not been a new refinery here in over 20 years and it is not likely to happen soon. Nobody wants an oil refinery in their back yard. Everyone wants it to stink somewhere else. See what happens when some company wants to make gas, paint, or solvents in your state. Tax-wise it is cheaper for Big Oil to refine overseas and import the finished product! We are a bunch of NIMBYs!
Some very well-intentioned patriots and believers in a "free" global energy markets woud usually try convince us that if only we all start driving 50mpg carton boxes or strap high-voltage batteries under gas tanks the price of gasoline would go down and America would stave off its economic decline.
Even if everybody in USA would commute in a rickshaw nothing will prevent global energy "traders" to continue happily scalping trillions on global sales of oil. And everybody else will just continue to pay to global corporate thugs - directly to tax-non-paying global oil and oil speculators and via tax-subsidies to their bio-snake-oils salesmen buddies to brainwashed population that never studied physics and who don't give the flick about America's economic decline. Global corporations and their operators couldn't care less about America from the jets overflying it on the way to exclusive locations of the world which they own too - to live...:) The rest can drive a carton box or shine their shoes, or just disappear and re-populated by cheap mass labor.
Global greed won - on a planetary scale. Nation-states are owned by global interests and are irrelevant as global markets and corporations are out of their reach and petty laws. Plus they write their laws to accomodate them anyway when needed anywhere in the world. Nothing can stave off America's decline now. But don't take my word for it, just wait and see.
