This is the VOA Special EnglishAGRICULTURE REPORT.
American scientists are developing a new use for chicken fat.Scientists at the University of Georgia in Athens are burning fatfrom chickens and other animals to produce heat. They havesuccessfully used the fat to produce hot water and heat forbuildings at the university.
The scientists say their tests show that animal fats often areless costly than more traditional fuels. They also say that burningthe fats is safe for people and the environment. They add that noone has reported smelling anything unusual from the local heatproduction center.
The University of Georgia uses large steam boilers to heat itsbuildings and produce hot water. Recently, the university spentthirty-thousand dollars to change some of the equipment so it couldburn both animal fats and traditional fuels.
The United States Poultry and Egg Association and the Fats andProtein Research Foundation are providing money for the project.
Scientists with the University’s Department of Biological andAgricultural Engineering have been supervising the tests. They haveburned different mixes of fuel and animal fats. At times, the fuelmix was one-hundred percent chicken fat or other low-cost substancesfrom food processing operations.
University of Georgia scientist Tom Adams says the animal fatsproduce about ninety percent of the heat that traditional fuel oilsproduce. He also says that substances released into the air by theburning fat are low in harmful pollutants, including sulfur.
University officials add that the burning does not increasecarbon dioxide gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere. Increasedproduction of the gas has been linked to rising temperatures onEarth.
Engineer Bob Synk is another member of the research team. He saysan increasing number of Americans believe that the country’sdependence on foreign oil imports is a problem. He says thegovernment’s energy plan calls for non-traditional fuels to supplyup to twenty percent of America’s energy needs within twenty years.
The scientists say chicken fat and other natural products couldbecome important fuels in the future. Mister Adams notes that theUnited States already produces almost five-thousand-millionkilograms of fat from chickens, cows and pigs each year.
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by GeorgeGrow.