French fry oil generates heat, electricity

This is an idea that seems so obvious that you wonder why it took so long for someone to actually develop it into a product. Fast food restaurants use hundreds of gallons of fry oil a week, and it used to be just hauled to the dump. Lately, it has been possible to sell it to owners of biodiesel vehicles, but that has not been convenient or easy.

Instead, the restaurants can now buy a refrigerator size unit that takes the fry oil straight from the cooker, filters it and burns it on the spot, creating both heat and electricity. The cogeneration unit eliminates the messy disposal or hauling of the oil, can produce up to 25% of the energy needed by the restaurant, and reduces dependence on foreign oil. In short, it's brilliant.

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