Fat wanted for speed record bid...

[Dead_Parrot]

...It's nuts, but here's a snippet from todays (Nov 10) Dominion Post:

Peter Bethune's Biofuel-powered attempt at the round-the-world powerboat speed record will feature blood, sweat and tears - as well as his own fat.

The Auckland adventurer has had about 100 millilitres - four syringes - of fat from his "love Handles" removed by liposuction to litterally fuel his record bid.

And he is pleading for over-weight people about to undergo the proceedure to donate thier fat to his cause. If Mr Bethune gets enough fat he will have it refined and converted to fuel for his futuristic 24-metre trimiran.

... A typical liposuction operation may snare 3kg of fat. Once refined that amount could produce three litres of fuel - enough to drive his Earthrace Boat 2Km

No on-line version yet, but go to http://www.earthrace.net for more general info on the project.

It just made me wonder if maybe Houston could once again be the centre of the oil industry... :P

[SmokingJacket]

1. Repulsive!!!

Perhaps one should not over eat in the first place, and save fuel that way.

[NNadir]

2. Oh Jeeze...

[htuttle]

3. Premium Unleaded is People!!!

[htuttle]

4. I had to go look it up -- and sure enough, someone had worked it out...

A person who weighs about 150 pounds would yield about the same amount of energy (in BTUs) as four gallons of fuel oil when burned.

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/mar2000/953744387.Ph.r.html

I couldn't help myself. I just had to know. :shrug:

[Dead_Parrot]

6. Hmmm...

...Soylent Green...

[Nihil]

7. So, if instead of burning them directly ...

... you distill them and store the output, not only have you started to
control the winter fuel shortage but also the overpopulation problem ...

Er, did I just say that out loud?

:scared:

[hunter]

11. Now if you had a nice Stirling engine maybe you could burn them directly!

Dead! Bring out your dead!

From Monty Python and the Holy Grail via Monty Python's completely useless website:

http://www.intriguing.com/mp

[Dogmudgeon]

12. So I could use my own body fat to fly to Los Angeles!

And STILL be way too fat to sleep with!

Is Science wonderful, or WHAT?

--p!
And First-Class, not Cabin, either.

[skids]

5. The most astounding thing about this...

...to me, at least, is that this is the sort of thing you'd expect from a big ol' fat Americian -- not a New Zealander.

[Dead_Parrot]

10. Like Death or Taxes....

...You can't escapse from the golden arches. They're everywhere...

[dcfirefighter]

8. Anyone want to do the thermal efficiency calculations on this?

acres of crops & energy to produce food to make 1 kg of human fat, rendered into liquid fuel & burned in an IC motor?

[Dead_Parrot]

9. Ask McDonald's...

...They should be able to help you with the first part. :)

You want fries with that?