WEEKEND POST (Port Elizabeth, S Africa) 06 December 08 More va va voom with crock magic fuel
A ground-breaking experiment in bio-fuels at Rhodes University has found using crocodile fat to power an engine makes mincemeat of the competition – a result organisers promise is not a load of crock.
The unusual experiment saw bio-technology students take to the lawns of Grahamstown‘s Rhodes Great Field on lawn-mowers powered by either pure crocodile fat, beef fat – or a mixture of the two – and sunflower oil.
The results astounded researchers as well as students, as the crocodile fat-powered mower left its rivals, running on highly-rated beef fat, in its dust.
Honours student Jordan Rainer raced a mower fuelled with a mix of 60 per cent cow fat, 20% sunflower oil and 20% crocodile fat, but lost to fellow student Craig Slater on a mower with a slightly higher mix of the croc magic.
And in the final round, Hailey Johnson on a mower running on pure crocodile fat, thumped Slater.
The unusual experiment was the brainchild of Grahamstown alternative-energy guru Dr Garth Cambray, of Makana Meadery, who began looking into the benefits of using crocodile fat as bio-diesel earlier this year. Cambray was the winner of The Herald Citizen of the Year award last year.
“The crocs at Cahora Bassa have multiplied to insane levels and 150000 are now being culled to get the balance right,” he said.
Cambray said with each crocodile carrying at least 20kg of fat, more than 2,5-million litres of bio-fuel could be produced.
It takes about two hours to turn the fat into fuel by heating it up and separating the oil from the water.
More va va voom with crock magic fuel