ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods have been working this past year to develop a renewable bio-diesel with lower carbon emissions than conventional fuels. They announced their apparently brilliant idea on Monday: their bio-diesel will be made using beef, pork and poultry fat. ConocoPhillips said it hopes to introduce the fuel at gas stations in the Midwest toward the end of this year. More strange than the idea itself is that people are really buying into it–even though it’s an obvious ploy for more money, not for a cleaner environment. A columnist notes that animal fat burns as clean as natural gas. Uh, plus the smell of burning animal fat? “Animal fat is an ideal solution for a breakthrough fuel. The possibilities are not limited to just heating buildings and water. Other projects are underway.”

I’m partial to the tack taken on Grist: why not suck the fat out of humans to run our cars?

1 Comment

1. 
   Comment by

   cyphercat

   on October 25, 2007 at 1:27 pm #

   This sucks. I can’t believe it, another horrible usage of animals to fight against. Hopefully they won’t be able to figure out how to deal with the problem of the fat turning to jelly at certain temperatures…