‘A hundred shillings a kilo’ was the answer.

I was at a butchery near our local slaughterhouse inquiring on the cost of beef fat.

The butcher stuck to his price, though I knew that if I came prepared with the money, he would back down a bit.

Think about that steak we salivate on when enjoying that barbecue.

Beef fat flavors meat in a very unique way.

But it could also flavor our energy front too.

BIODIESEL

Take a piece of beef fat, dice it into small pieces, put it in a metallic container and place it on mild heat for an hour or two.

At first, nothing much happens, but over time, the beef fat seems to convert into simmering oil.

The rendered oil soon solidifies to cooking fat known as beef tallow.

TALLOW

Beef tallow has various uses such as cooking and making soap.

But a brand of innovators is exploring its use on a very unique front – biodiesel production.

Biodiesel is fuel derived from fats and oils available in nature – and beef tallow is one such fat.

It is formed through reacting a fat or oil with an alcohol in the presence of a catalyst such as sodium hydroxide – a process called trans-esterification.

The result is long-chained hydrocarbons (diesel) and glycerol (a viscous liquid used in cosmetics).

As I said before, some researchers are checking out the possibility of using beef fat to make biodiesel.

But beef fat ain’t the only potential raw material for this process out there.

BLACK SOLDIER FLY LARVAE

These maggot-like creatures feed on scraps from our kitchen, converting them to protein.

But what if we have a mound of fatty wastes – how do we get ‘rid’ of it?

Well, some out-of-the-box researchers are toying with feeding BSF larvae being fed on a fat-rich diet and afterwards convert the fat they accumulate to biodiesel.

An advantage with this strategy is that these critters feast on many types of leftovers, and as they do so, keep our environment clean.

Biodiesel could still be converted from edible oils but this would compete with food needs.

Just imagine sunflower oil being used to make biodiesel.

We will be solving one problem – energy needs – as we create another – hunger.

So to have a win-win situation, non-edible oils seem to attract attention in this regard.

CROTON MEGALOCARPUS

Croton is a common tree grown in many parts of Eastern Africa.

But it’s the seeds that make them unique.

They are laden with oils that aren’t edible but could find use in biodiesel production. 

But croton isn’t the only possible source of biodiesel in the botanical world.

Other trees like Jatropha, Castor seed plant etc. have also also attracted similar attention due to their high non-edible oil content.

But what makes biodiesel production and use circular?

BIODIESEL

Biodiesel is derived from plant or animal fat.

Fat in living things is accumulated from carbon in both the soil and air.

In other words, plants capture carbon from air – through photosynthesis – convert it to carbohydrates and fats which livestock consume.

The fats and oils accumulated by both plants and animals could then be used for biodiesel production.

Biodiesel releases carbon when burnt.

However, that carbon is again assimilated into crops like croton and concentrated in their seeds as oils.

This makes biodiesel an alternative energy source – one that is a better option than fossil fuels.

IN CONCLUSION

Use of fossil fuels releases carbon that’s been trapped for eons.

However, alternative energy sources like biodiesel circularizes already existing carbon, making it a better and possibly carbon neutral option.