CNN news 2012-05-11 加文本

cnn news 2012-05-11

high school sophomore is using his scientific know-how.

JOSH WOLF, HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE: NC4 plant (ph) system is closed during the day.

BOYD HUPPERT, cnn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before you`re impressed with the biologese of 16-year-old Josh Wolf --

WOLF: -- Auschland (ph) acid metabolism --

HUPPERT (voice-over): Check out the terminology Josh`s classmates use.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Intelligent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ambitious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Creative.

HUPPERT (voice-over): -- to describe Josh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say brilliant.

HUPPERT (voice-over): Brilliant? Come on, students. This is science. We need proof.

WOLF: So what I`m doing right now is I`m collecting all the waste oil that`s in these fryers right over here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is really hot.

WOLF: She was a little weirded out by it, you know. Couldn`t -- wait, wait, what`s that -- you want oil? You want the waste oil?

HUPPERT (voice-over): But how else was Josh going to fill those 20 jugs in the back of the science classroom?

WOLF: In here.

HUPPERT (voice-over): Oh, yes, and that dumpster behind the school.

WOLF: At one point there was about 600 to 700 gallons of oil.

HUPPERT (voice-over): Using household chemicals, Josh has been converting that used cooking oil to diesel fuel.

WOLF: Here`s the diesel that connects buse (ph) straight into an engine.

HUPPERT (voice-over): That`s Josh`s friend.

And this is his friend`s dad`s diesel pickup.

WOLF: It has a little bit smaller of a carbon chain than regular diesel does.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Josh is smart.

HUPPERT (voice-over): He`s also just warming up.

Josh already has an agreement to collect the used oil from his first local restaurant, and now is in talks with Oak River`s school bus company about selling them his fuel. But that`s just to raise some capital.

WOLF: This is just startup.

HUPPERT: For something bigger?

WOLF: Right.

HUPPERT (voice-over): Dare we ask what`s in that portable garage Josh got for Christmas that now sits behind his house?

WOLF: So this is where I`m growing my algae right now.

HUPPERT: So what`s in here?

WOLF: Algae.

HUPPERT (voice-over): We won`t reveal all his scientific secrets, but by running algae through parts he salvaged from an old toy rocket launcher --

WOLF: And it shocks the algae --

HUPPERT (voice-over): -- Josh has been pulling ridiculous amounts of oil from the algae in that garbage can.

WOLF: At least one of these a day.

HUPPERT (voice-over): Now just imagine if he had hundreds of acres of algae. Josh already is.

HUPPERT: And then you`ve got tankers leaving.

WOLF: Yes.

HUPPERT: On the other end, right? Oil tankers?

MARK DURAND, ROBOTICS COACH: We met with some people from the industry and they said, you need a provisional patent and you need one yesterday.

HUPPERT (voice-over): So Josh is now the only kid at the science fair with a patent attorney. And he`s yet to take high school chemistry.