By NBC San Diego
There's a new lesson being taught at San Diego High School -- how to take a fast-food snack and turn it into an alternative fuel source.
A group of juniors and sophomores have been hard at work, trying to find ways to reduce the nation's need for oil. The real-life lesson is being taught by science and technology teacher, John Karanopoulos. Their goal is the production of biodiesel.
"From something that is a waste product, we can make something that is an energy product," he said.
But it's not a simple task, the students explained. First they begin by "filtering the used cooking oil, so we can get the impurities," said Woody Elwell, a junior. Then, junior Joseph Humes said, "we turn on the reaction pump for at least an hour."
They then add a chemical and watch for reactions that tells them how many fatty acids are in the oil that they're using [see slideshow]. It's a painstaking process that could change the way we fill up our tanks.
"It's great knowing that you're kind of a part of small steps towards making the environment better," Flores said.
The class gets oil to use from restaurants around town and Johnson & Johnson, which is a business partner at the school.
NBC San Diego
http://nbcsandiego.com/goinggreen/14321285/detail.html
It's good to hear BP & GM talk about alternative fuels, but 50 years to implement is too long.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/05/news/companies/bigoil_hydrogen/index.htm
Perhaps this link will spark more attention:
http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/
It is GM's electric concept car the Chevy Volt. If more people begin to demand alternative fuel cars, we should be able to speed the rate at which the technology is developed.
We have started an Investor Forum where Investors can meet and discuss topics like this:
http://www.thesubway.com/small-cap-forum/