Major biodiesel plant opens in NC to covert chicken fat to fuel

Major biodiesel plant opens in NC to covert chicken fat to fuel
Charlotte Observer - Charlotte,NC,USA
PITTSBORO, NC - A company that began by making alternative fuel from french fry grease is now ready to start major production of biodiesel. ...

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PITTSBORO, N.C. - A company that began by making alternative fuel from french fry grease is now ready to start major production of biodiesel.

Piedmont Biofuels plans to convert chicken fat into 1 million gallons of biodiesel per year at the factory, making a fuel that creates less pollution and provides an alternative to oil.

It's the first of three biodiesel production plants being built in North Carolina, which is among the nation's top consumers of biodiesel fuel.

"This whole thing has been driven by a quest for more fuel," said Lyle Estill, a Piedmont Biofuels executive. "I was making it for my tractor at home. In some ways, this represents a continuation of our quest. A million-gallon plant is our attempt to meet more fuel needs."

The factory was launched Monday in Pittsboro west of Raleigh, though actual production is still a few days away.

When it begins, liquid chicken fat - delivered in 7,500-gallon tanker trucks - will be pumped into a 2,000-gallon reactor vessel where it will be mixed with methyl alcohol and a catalyst such as potash, a chemical, to change the fat into fuel. The factory could also use vegetable oil as the feedstock, or raw material base, for biodiesel.

Once the biodiesel is cleaned, it is ready for sale.

A byproduct, glycerin, can be removed and purified, then used in the cosmetics and chemical industries.

Estill said the factory, which began as a small cooperative in Moncure, employs 17 people and has been importing biodiesel from other states and reselling about 250,000 gallons a year.

The new plant was launched with an investment of about $1 million, including a $170,000 grant from the state Energy Office for production equipment.

Researchers at the Solar Center at North Carolina State University say the state consumed more than 1.5 million gallons of biodiesel in 2005, though the fuel isn't always readily available. In the Raleigh area, it's sold only at two service stations and through member-owned cooperatives.

Nationally, biodiesel consumption in the U.S. grew from 25 million gallons per year in 2004 to 78 million gallons in 2005, with production expected to reach 300 million gallons this year and 750 million gallons in 2007, according to Emerging Markets Online, a global energy market research firm.

State agencies are the largest consumers of biodiesel in North Carolina, burning about 5 million gallons nationwide in cars, trucks and road construction equipment.

Any vehicle that runs on diesel fuel can use biodiesel, often a mix of 20 percent pure biodiesel and 60 percent petroleum diesel. The blend sells for $2.80 to $3 per gallon in the Raleigh area.

"To have it made right here is going to make it more reliable and reduces transportation costs," said Tobin Freid, coordinator for Triangle Clean Cities at the Triangle J Council of Governments. "By making it here and using local feedstocks, you are eliminating all that impact on transporting fuel."

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