Alternative Fuels

Waste Fat as an Alternative Fuel Source

Waste fat, oil and grease (FOG) are major components of many food processing wastewater streams. In Georgia, poultry processors are the most prevalent producers of these high FOG wastewaters. In 2006, Georgia poultry processors slaughtered more than 1.3 billion broilers and generated about 9 billion gallons of highly concentrated FOG wastewater in the process. University of Georgia researchers in Poultry Science and Biological and Agricultural Engineering, with funding through the Georgia Food Processing Advisory Council, evaluated five waste fat raw materials recovered from poultry processing wastewater as potential sources of alternative fuel. Three major poultry integrators partnered with UGA, allowing researchers access to processing plant wastewater treatment areas for sample collection. Purified fat samples were analyzed by the University of Georgia Biofuel Testing Laboratory for energy content, specific gravity, dynamic viscosity and ultimate elemental analysis. Results of waste fat fuel-quality and combustion analysis were compared to common petroleum fuels. Overall the FOG based fuels performed as excellent fuel oil replacements in this recycled oil fueled boiler system. This initial work by UGA has shown that the collection, extraction and purification of concentrated-fat from poultry processing wastewater is a feasible method of providing a product that can be an alternative to petroleum based #2 fuel oil for industrial boilers. Along with providing reduced fueling costs, this work could increase domestic energy security by displacing foreign petroleum with domestic poultry fat. Additionally, since this material is actually produced in Georgia, it takes advantage of Georgia's own energy resources. Finally, since this material is used in-house, it eliminates transportation costs and conserves the fuel necessary to transport petroleum products to poultry processing facilities where the fuels are needed. Based on these initial results, the research team has received funding to collaborate on the design and development of a self-contained low-temperature fat extraction and purification unit that can be installed on-site at poultry processing plants to produce a usable quantity of fuel-quality fat in an economical manner. It is conceivable that with a full-scale version of this system, a poultry processor could be washing and cleaning both birds and equipment with water heated by boilers fed waste fat recovered from birds processed earlier that same day. (2007)

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