A University of Idaho research teams believes that used fry oil from Albertson's delis could be used to power small diesel engines that cool refrigerated trucks carrying groceries.
Sam Jones, a UI graduate student in ag engineering, and Ag Engineering Professor Charles Peterson are fine-tuning a way for Albertsons to utilize its used fry oil with a research contract with the Idaho Water Resources Department's Energy Division.
Also included are J. R. Simplot and Carrier Transcold, participating as industrial partners.
Another UI team is testing the fuel characteristics of both raw fry oil and biodiesel made from fry oil. They have worked out a system for the delis to collect and prepare the oil for use.
The team is evaluating blends of up to 10 percent used fry oil mixed with conventional diesel to determine if diesel engines can operate the refrigerator-trailer. It could be as simple as adding five gallons of fry oil each time the operator fills a 50-gallon tank.