NASA Fires Up Jet Fuel That Tastes Like Chicken 147
coondoggie writes "It may never make it into everyday jet-fighter use, but NASA is checking out biofuel made from chicken and beef fat. The chicken fat fuel, known as Hydrotreated Renewable Jet Fuel, was burned in the engine of a DC-8 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center as part of its Alternative Aviation Fuels Experiment, which is looking at developing all manner of biofuel alternatives to traditional Jet Propellant 8. The DC-8 is used as a test vehicle because its engine operations are well-documented and well-understood, NASA says."
You never know, so take them all! (Score:3, Insightful)
I'll be kindof surprised if this biofuel can provide the same amount of amount of energy as an equivalent amount of fossil fuel. I think the idea is more along the lines of research: You do not necessarily know what will work, so try many different things. Take what seems to work, and then allow them to play together! Each area takes a common standard, with built-in flexibility, and comes up with their local fuel variant that works best where they are, but can still play with vehicles made somewhere else. It may be a bit of a dream (or not), so you need research!
Re:Renewable?? You got to be kidding. (Score:5, Insightful)
The idea is that you eat the chicken, and use the waste products for fuel. I don't think the plan is to set up chicken farms specifically to turn them into jet fuel.
Of course, the big question is how big the supply of waste products actually is. I would guess it's not all that big.
Re:"all manner of biofuel alternatives"... (Score:4, Insightful)
Consider huge chicken rendering plants (the kind that make chicken nuggets etc), the kind that can load up a truck with green nasty chicken grease. As a purified lipid, it should have as much energy as vegetable oils. I would guess the grease would need to be cracked [wikipedia.org] to be something other than a bunker oil equivalent, since fat is solid at room temperature.
Interesting the value that we humans put on animal lives: Miles per chicken.
Re:1234 (Score:2, Insightful)