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Liposuctioning unwanted blubber out of pampered Los Angelenos may not seem like a dream job, but it has its perks. Free fuel is one of them, according to a recent article in Forbes magazine.


For a time, Beverly Hills doctor C. Alan Bittner (pictured) turned the fat he removed from patients into biodiesel that fueled his Ford SUV and his girlfriend's Lincoln Navigator.


Fat -- whether animal or vegetable -- contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel. Poultry companies such as Tyson are looking into powering their trucks on chicken schmaltz, and biofuel start-ups such as Nova Biosource are mixing beef tallow and pig lard with more palatable sources such as soybean oil, according to Forbes.


Mike Shook of Agri Process Innovations, a builder of biodiesel plants, says this year's batch of U.S. biodiesel was likely more than half animal-derived since the price of soybeans soared.


A gallon of grease will get you about a gallon of fuel, and drivers can get about the same amount of mileage from fat fuel as they do from regular diesel, according to Jenna Higgins of the National Biodiesel Board. Animal fats need to undergo an additional step to get rid of free fatty acids not present in vegetable oils, but otherwise, there's no difference, she told Forbes.


Greenies like the fact that waste, such as coffee grounds and french-fry grease, can be turned into power.


"The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel -- and I have more fat than I can use," Bittner wrote on lipodiesel.com, which is no longer online. "Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly but they get to take part in saving the Earth."


Using fat to fuel cars might be environmentally friendly, but it's definitely illegal in California to use human medical waste to power vehicles, and Bittner is being investigated by the state's public health department.

Tags: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Diesel, Alternative Fuel, Beverly Hills, Biodiesel, Biofuel, C. Alan Bittner, Fat

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Beverly Hills Liposuction Doctor Powered His SUV Using His Patients' 'Spare Tires' was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.