A plastic surgeon in California has lost his license to practice after it was discovered he had been using human fat sucked out of patients’ bodies to fuel his car.
Alan Bittner claimed on a web site that he created lipodiesel from his patients’ fat and used it to power both his Ford Explorer and his girlfriend’s Lincoln Navigator.
Dr Bittner said he has performed roughly 7,000 liposuction operations, and that a gallon of human fat will produce roughly the same quantity of biofuel.
“The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel – and I have more fat than I can use,” said Bittner at lipodiesel.com. “Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly, but they get to take part in saving the Earth.”
Human fat contains triglycerides which are no different from those found in waste animal fats that are already being used for the same purpose.
However the discovery left medical regulators unimpressed. Using human medical waste to power vehicles (or indeed for any other commercial purpose) is largely illegal, and Dr Bittner’s clinic has been raided by California Health Department officials.
Apparently using fat to fuel cars might be environmentally friendly, but it’s illegal in California.