Biodiesel fuel pump opens in Burlington
While the economic crisis currently has center stage, the need for sustainable energy solutions remains a pressing issue.
Miles away from Wall Street, in Burlington, some of the most cutting-edge advances in biofuel technology are being made.
Piedmont Biofuels opened its newest facility, called the Bio-Refinery, on Oct. 6 in Burlington. The Bio-Refinery is the first of its kind in North Carolina. The plant will use large-scale methane recovery, turning waste into useful co-products.
Piedmont Biofuels, located outside of Pittsboro, makes, markets and sells biofuel. For those new to eco-savvy lingo, biofuel is a non-petroleum based diesel fuel that is produced from vegetable oil and is clean-burning.
“You can make biofuel from basically anything you can fry food with,” said Spencer Johnson, an Elon senior interning with Piedmont Biofuels.
The production facility, known as “The Coop,” produces several hundred gallons of biofuel a week.
“The biofuel we produce is B99.9; meaning 99.9 percent of the fuel is biodiesel,” Johnson said.
The Burlington location is the eighth in the Triangle to dispense B99.9 fuel. The Triangle area has more B99.9 availability than anywhere else on the continent.
Several prominent North Carolinians attended the opening of Burlington’s Bio-Refinery, including U.S. Congressman Bob Etheridge, N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, N.C. Sen. Bob Atwater, N.C. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, N.C. Rep. Joe Hackney and Pittsboro Mayor Randy Voller.
The new location is 2053 Willow Springs Drive.
Piedmont Biofuels was created in 2002 as a three-person co-op. Six years later, the coalition boasts more than 600 members.
Many Elon students are familiar with biodiesel because of the BioBuses that are often seen around campus.
Elon’s BioBuses do not currently run on Piedmont Biofuels' products, but Johnson said he hopes the growing company will soon produce enough biofuel to supply the university.
“I’m going to start talking to Elon about collecting the dining halls’ waste oils for us to use to make biofuel,” Johnson said.
All diesel fuel vehicles can run on biodiesel without any conversions to the engine. Those vehicles get the same power and fuel economy as they would running on petroleum. The price of biodiesel changes along with the cost of raw materials and the demand for the product.
Students and community members who are interested in using biodiesel to fuel their vehicles can visit www.visitbiofuels.com for more information.
Miles away from Wall Street, in Burlington, some of the most cutting-edge advances in biofuel technology are being made.
Piedmont Biofuels opened its newest facility, called the Bio-Refinery, on Oct. 6 in Burlington. The Bio-Refinery is the first of its kind in North Carolina. The plant will use large-scale methane recovery, turning waste into useful co-products.
Piedmont Biofuels, located outside of Pittsboro, makes, markets and sells biofuel. For those new to eco-savvy lingo, biofuel is a non-petroleum based diesel fuel that is produced from vegetable oil and is clean-burning.
“You can make biofuel from basically anything you can fry food with,” said Spencer Johnson, an Elon senior interning with Piedmont Biofuels.
The production facility, known as “The Coop,” produces several hundred gallons of biofuel a week.
“The biofuel we produce is B99.9; meaning 99.9 percent of the fuel is biodiesel,” Johnson said.
The Burlington location is the eighth in the Triangle to dispense B99.9 fuel. The Triangle area has more B99.9 availability than anywhere else on the continent.
Several prominent North Carolinians attended the opening of Burlington’s Bio-Refinery, including U.S. Congressman Bob Etheridge, N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, N.C. Sen. Bob Atwater, N.C. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, N.C. Rep. Joe Hackney and Pittsboro Mayor Randy Voller.
The new location is 2053 Willow Springs Drive.
Piedmont Biofuels was created in 2002 as a three-person co-op. Six years later, the coalition boasts more than 600 members.
Many Elon students are familiar with biodiesel because of the BioBuses that are often seen around campus.
Elon’s BioBuses do not currently run on Piedmont Biofuels' products, but Johnson said he hopes the growing company will soon produce enough biofuel to supply the university.
“I’m going to start talking to Elon about collecting the dining halls’ waste oils for us to use to make biofuel,” Johnson said.
All diesel fuel vehicles can run on biodiesel without any conversions to the engine. Those vehicles get the same power and fuel economy as they would running on petroleum. The price of biodiesel changes along with the cost of raw materials and the demand for the product.
Students and community members who are interested in using biodiesel to fuel their vehicles can visit www.visitbiofuels.com for more information.
Updated October 15, 2008
