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Only In California

Can't see the problem myself. Seems an efficient solution to a waste disposal problem. I think medical waste usually gets incinerated anyway (probably at considerable cost), so why not get some use out of it? Even Shakespeare had the idea: "I see the devil will not have me damned, lest the oil that's in me should set Hell on fire"!

Of course it'd be much more efficient to have the patients convert their surplus fat to energy by biking instead of driving, but we don't live in such a perfect world :-)

The idea has its merits.

It is legal.
It is moral.
It certainly is not fattening.
There is no government involvement.

Only downside it can see is that the fat must be "rendered" to oil. Rendering is extremely smelly.

Lessee...I need about a hundred gallons per month. That's 700 lb of fuel Figure ten lb per procedure. 1:1 conversion (I don't believe that - let's say 1:2 conversion) so we get 5 lb of B100 per procedure, so I need the fat from 140 procdeures. A good plastic surgeon could keep me in biodiesel.

Remember "Fight Club" - making soap from lipo fat?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Dave (Post 80411)

Only downside it can see is that the fat must be "rendered" to oil. Rendering is extremely smelly.

Word. Anybody ever been near the rendering plants in Vernon, CA? I don't even know if they're still there but I had a project next to one back in the '80s and the horror of the stench is still a painful memory to this day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Dave (Post 80411)

Lessee...I need about a hundred gallons per month. That's 700 lb of fuel...

But if you got a more efficient vehicle... I use about 10-15 gallons/month in the Insight. With a hybrid diesel, I could manage by grabbing one typical Walmart customer per month, and doing a really good suction job :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesqf (Post 80427)

An excellent plan indeed, but I'd suggest substituting Hometown Buffet customers for Walmart. I suppose the intersection of the two sets is quite large but Hometown Buffet seems to be a more reliable repository of potential fuel.

Folks! You are making this too hard. People pay the surgeons big bucks to suck the blubber off. The surgeons pay salty bucks to get rid of the potential biohazard. They might charge you some trival fee (doctors have astronomical student loans to pay off) but it will be (even after rendering) oil for dirt-cheap.

The reason I did the calculation is to show it could be a good deal for a savvy DIYer. 140 liposuctions a month ain't a drop in the bucket.

The problem remains in the rendering. Maybe the best way is to take your lipo-fat to a commercial rendering plant and trade it for usable oil. Might save having your neighbors burn you out.

Human / cow / chicken fat .... it's all disgusting to me.
( But at least the humans aren't killed, like the animals are. )

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cd (Post 80471)

But at least the humans aren't killed,

Wait a few years, 'til gas/diesel hits about $20/gal :-)

Humm... I think there's a movie in that somewhere...

Anyone else catch this , " biodiesel that fueled his Ford SUV and his girlfriend's Lincoln Navigator."

Where can I get a diesel version of those vehicles in California? :p

This thread = comedy gold

Seriously though, if you can actually run a car on this stuff, why not? Where would it go otherwise?

Soylent Green Fuel no less ;)

Yeah, wired.com reported on this a few days ago. They concluded that it is probably not true, citing the lack of diesel versions of those vehicles. As well as the doctor apparently acting like a publicity *****.

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/12/fat-powered-for.html

jesse.rizzo -

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesse.rizzo (Post 80516)

Yeah, wired.com reported on this a few days ago. They concluded that it is probably not true, citing the lack of diesel versions of those vehicles. As well as the doctor apparently acting like a publicity *****.

Fat-Fueled Ford Is Biodiesel Biohazard | Autopia from Wired.com

Ok, robbiewt already posted this :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...aybe-6531.html

Quote:

[FROM WIRED ARTICLE]Now, the mainstream media have done a pretty good job separating fact from fiction lately, and there is precedent for using human fat to power vehicles, but three clues leave us leery of Bittner's claims.

Clue No. 1: Forbes says human fat fueled Bittner's Ford SUV (like the Excursion in the photo illustration above) and his girlfriend's Lincoln Navigator. Unless she had the engine swapped, we're calling that B.S. because there's no diesel Navigator yet. No diesel, no lipodiesel — just a Lincoln with high cholesterol.

Clue No. 2: Bittner acts like a publicity *****. After his chain of medical-imaging clinics was shuttered due to false advertising, Bittner opened up a clinic on Rodeo Drive and called it Beverly Hills Liposculpture. Real subtle. A couple of blog posts and news headlines about Dr. Bittner's amazing "thigh-test" biofuel would thrill the sort of doctor who plasters his own mugshot all over his clinic's website.

Clue No. 3: We don't trust any story that's based on a movie. In the '90s, Dr. Bittner could've been working at the Paper Street Soap Company. In the '70s, Charlton Heston would've burst into Dr. Bittner's office screaming, "Alternative fuel is people!"

Question: Isn't there a "limit" to how much fat cells a human body has? I thought that the body didn't replace the fat cells that were removed with lipo. Soooo, you couldn't "harvest" the fat more than once.

CarloSW2

Sweet. I've thought about this about a million times, but never made a call.
Come to think of it I had a plastic surgeon as a customer some time ago. . .

Ever see "Fight Club?" Making biodiesel is not much different from making soap.

Hello -

He just closed his practice :

dralanbittner.com

Quote:

Closure of Beverly Hills Liposculpture

Dear Patients:

It has been a sincere pleasure to take care of you and I want to share the news with you that Beverly Hills Liposculpture will be closing. My staff will continue to see patients until December 23, 2008. I am writing this letter to ensure that you are able to take steps to receive good medical care from other physicians in the future. Please note that my practice is not being taken over by another physician. You will need to find a new office and a new doctor. I recommend The Los Angeles County Medical Association for a list of physicians.

...

It seems he's under investigation, so he left the country :

Probe into cosmetic surgeon who 'powered his 4x4 with his patients' excess flab' | Mail Online

Quote:

If you're keen to establish your green credentials you can install solar panels or stick a wind turbine on your roof.

Or you could become a patient of Dr Alan Bittner.

The leading Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon claims to be saving the planet by using fat removed from clients in liposuction operations to power his 4x4 car.
Dr Alan Bittner

Dr Alan Bittner says he turned fat sucked out of patients in liposuction operations into biodiesel - or 'lipodiesel' - for his 4x4 vehicle

According to Dr Bittner, his patients are more than happy to be involved in the extraordinary eco-friendly scheme.

'The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel - and I have more fat than I can use,' he declared.

'Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly, but they get to take part in saving the Earth.' U.S. authorities are less impressed and have launched an inquiry into his claims that he is converting the waste fat into bio-diesel - or 'lipodiesel' as he calls it.

Dr Bittner posted his claims on a website lipodiesel.com, which has since been taken down following the sudden closure of his clinic on Rodeo Drive.

He is believed to have moved to South America after several patients filed a lawsuit against his practice for allegedly allowing his unlicensed girlfriend to carry out operations. U.S. business magazine Forbes reported that Dr Bittner used the 'lipofuel' to power both his Ford Explorer and his girlfriend's Lincoln Navigator.

Bio-diesel is commonly made from vegetable oils, although half of the U.S. supply comes from beef or pig products.

Animal and vegetable fat contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel.

...

Lawyer Andrew Besser, who represents three patients, claims the assistant and girlfriend removed too much fat from clients and left them disfigured. Dozens of other patients have complained to the state medical board, according to Mr Besser. On his official clinic website Dr Bittner claims he offers patients a more advanced form of liposuction called liposculpture.

...

CarloSW2

I have made jokes about a mean classmate of mine in high school (Jean Ma) storing over 1000 Prius batteries worth of energy in the form of fat. And now, it is possible to use that energy to power a car! (If only the Prius was available as a diesel-electric...)

So what the world REALLY needs is a fuel cell that runs on fat. Tie up Jean, stuff him in the trunk, stick in a couple of electrodes, and you're good for the next couple thousand miles :-)

But the increase in weight would kill your FE. ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesqf (Post 80956)

So what the world REALLY needs is a fuel cell that runs on fat. Tie up Jean, stuff him in the trunk, stick in a couple of electrodes, and you're good for the next couple thousand miles :-)

That's what I thought! A nanotechnology fuel cell to efficiently convert her fat into electricity!

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfg83 (Post 80528)

The body wont replace fat cells, but McDonalds will :D