Those looking for a solution to rising gasoline prices may need to look no further than the bottom of the deep fryer at their favorite fast-food restaurants.

California-based company BiOil plans to use trans fat from fast-food restaurants as a more eco-friendly energy source for automobiles by using biodiesel fuel.

According to the Web site for the National Biodiesel Board, biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable sources.

Biodiesel fuel gives off fewer emissions than those of petroleum-run automobiles, leading to greater sustainability for the environment.

The fuel can also be formed from renewable resources such as soybeans.

Though using the same type of fuel the body burns in cars may not seem entirely logical, researchers say the process by which the fuel is burned is different for a human than a motor vehicle.

"Your body is basically an internal combustion engine of a different sort," said Dorothy Blair, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State.

"We use the chemical energy imbedded in carbon-hydrogen bonds to make energy for useful work, with the aid of enzyme systems,"she said.

She said the kind of energy a car or a wood stove would burn uses different types of combustion to produce energy than the human body, but they both create heat and energy.

Tyson Foods Inc. developed a renewable fuel division last year, harvesting 2.3 billion pounds of chicken, hog and animal fat from its operations. The fat that is hervested could be converted into 300 million gallons of fuel, according to a company statement on CNET News.

"In the U.S. last year, only 150 million gallons of biodiesel were produced while Americans consumed 62 billion gallons of regular diesel," the CNET Web site said.

While using biodiesel may seem like the sensible solution to conserving the environment, there are some disadvantages to fueling up with trans fat.

In extreme cold, biodiesel has a tendency to gel in the fuel tank and cause the filter to plug, the National Biodiesel Board Web site said.

Another problem with the fuel is that it has a shelf life of no more than six months.

Although there are some issues with using biodiesel, customers should consider alternative uses for their fast-food leftovers, Blair said.

"I think it is a lot better to use the spent oil than put it in a land fill," she said.