Chicken fat could be key to biofuel boom

Today, only a tiny fraction of U.S. biodiesel is made from chicken fat, but that seems likely to change. The rising cost of soybean oil – which accounts for roughly 90 percent of all biodiesel fuel stock – is pushing the industry to exploit cheap and plentiful animal fats.

The nation’s biggest meat corporations have taken notice. Tyson Foods announced in November it has established a renewable energy division that will be up and running during 2007. Competitors Perdue Farms Inc. and Smithfield Foods Inc. are making similar moves.

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