Leftover chicken fat may become biodiesel instead of soap
Some 2.3 billion pounds of chicken fat are left over every year from just the Tyson Foods operations. That could make 300 million gallons of biodiesel. Question is, who's going to handle the production? A couple of Missouri men want to use $5 million to build a plant to refine chicken fat near Dexter, Missouri. Tyson, which has a plant near Dexter, has also announced plans for a renewable energy division. Right now there doesn't seem to be any final decision from either side. Apparently chicken fat is cheaper than soybeans but it has problems of getting too thick in cold weather.
[Source: Christopher Leonard / Associated Press via Jackson Hole Star Tribune]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
diz 10:54AM (7/17/2008)
Today is the 1st time I have ever heard that chicken fat is used to make bar soap. Is it, has it ever, been listed on the ingredients?I am concerened because I am allergic to poultry. The feathers make me cough, eggs and any poultry gives me severe flu like problems that can last for 3 days to weeks. If something like french fries has been fixed in the same oil as poultry even if its been filtered, and heated I get ill. Could the soaps be causing blotchy skin, and cause the problems with my eyes or sinuses??? I'm not the only one with this allergy. I can not get any "health" shot that was connected to being in eggs.. Wow am I shocked by lack of information.
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Tim 1:47PM (1/05/2007)
Tyson foods would diversify if they were on their game (pun intended). Lemons to Lemonaid.
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Ping 6:53PM (1/05/2007)
wouldn't making biodiesel produce a lye byproduct that could also be used in making soap?
If the biodiesel were made from Tyson waste chicken fat, then the lye wouldn't have to be thrown away like with homebrewers, but they could ship the massive quantities of lye straight to the soap factory!!
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keg 4:26PM (4/25/2007)
Producing biodiesel would leave Glycerin as a by product if you were using methanol, lye and chicken fat for your components. I am not sure if that would be the case in some of the other reactions to produce biodiesel. The methanol could then be reclaimed by boiling the glycerin mixture, and the glycerin could be used in soap.
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