Piedmont Biofuels
    Membership Newsletter
Worm's Eye View of Building 2
Tales from the Plant
March 2010
Norma-Jean, our oil collections truck
Greetings!

Welcome to our newest membership newsletter! We all hope that you enjoyed this year's carnival season. Now that Mardi Gras has passed, it's back to work here at Piedmont.

We have more exciting news from Chatham County this month. We recently built a bus-based mobile reactor for Craven County schools, our Biofuels & Seed-Crushing Roadshow finished phase one AND our membership-drive-pizza-party turned out to be a smashing success!

We're also coming off of an intense week in Dallas-Forth Worth, TX, where we contributed to both the Sustainable Biodiesel Summit and the National Biodiesel Board Conference as presenters and attendees. Expect to hear more about these conferences in the following weeks.

Thank you to all of our members who continue to support our efforts to bring clean, renewable fuel to Central North Carolina. Now, if we can get you all to put a bug in the ears of your local, state and federally elected representatives concerning the lapsed biodiesel tax incentive, we would be forever grateful.

Onwards, through the last of the lean months and into yet another bountiful Carolina Spring.
Growing season can't get here soon enough!!
Craven Co. Bus Project Complete

Craven County's  Mobile Bus Reactor

Our Design-Build team recently finished retrofitting a school bus with a built-in biodiesel processor for Craven County Schools as part of a $49,000 grant from the Biofuel Center of North Carolina. That money was also used to train teachers how to make biofuel as part of a plan to launch a renewable energy course called "Renewable Energy and Agriculture" at West Craven and Havelock high schools in the fall, and eventually to demonstrate how renewable energy is made for students district-wide.

The processor for the bus can generate up to 40 gallons of fuel from the oil of renewable sources such as canola. There are fields of canola growing at both West Craven and at Havelock high schools that were planted by students and teachers last year. There are about three quarters of an acre of canola planted at West Craven, and about a quarter of an acre at Havelock.
 
B100 Community Trail

At the teacher training last month, Chris Jude, project manager for Piedmont Biofuels, showed the teachers how to create biofuel using the processor, and how to test the quality of their product to see if it could run the vehicle.

The process involved crushing the seeds to create oil, as well as meal, running the oil through a filter and then into a biodiesel reactor, where the oil is mixed with methanol, a catalyst, and heat from the bus engine. The liquid is left to settle so the biodiesel can be separated and sent to a wash tank. The biofuel will be blended with petroleum diesel to eventually run the bus.

Excerpts taken from a full article available at ENCToday.com.

Partners in Sustainability

Piedmont's Partners in Sustainability program highlights the efforts of our collaborative feedstock partners and their efforts in making North Carolina a more sustainable place to live and work.

We would like to thank and recognize our newest partners, including:

18 Seaboard, Raleigh
Table 16, Greensboro
Chick-fil-A, downtown Raleigh
Cary Academy, Cary
Forsythe Tech, Winston-Salem
Tasca Brava 607, Raleigh
The Point at Glenwood, Raleigh
Liberty Showcase Theatre, Liberty
Gravy, Raleigh
Casa Carbone Ristorante, Raleigh
The Peddler Steak House, Ralegh

Thank you to all the great folks who recycle their used fryer oil with Piedmont Biofuels.

Please make an effort to support the businesses who have made it a priority to improve sustainability in our area... and when you visit these fine establishments, don't forget to mention us!

Biofuel & Seed-Crushing Roadshow

Cleantech on Tour

Last week Piedmont Biofuels brought cutting-edge biodiesel and oilseed-crushing workshops to farmers in four Southern states from February 17 to 22, 2010. The "Biofuel & Seed-Crushing Roadshow" featured a team of Piedmont experts, Chris Jude and Lynette Driver, offering workshops to the public at schools, farmer's markets, and farms in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.

The response to the workshops was great, with small farmers, students and community members coming out to each workshop.  "It's a lot of fun to get out into the Southeastern farming community and talk to folks about renewable fuels, these folks have a unique stake in the need for a locally made renewable motor fuel.  Piedmont Biofuels began on a small farm and really enjoys teaching and promoting biodiesel and now, oilseed crushing to these folks," said Chris Jude, tour leader for the trip. "We're looking forward to doing more educational workshops this year."

The 2010 roadshow continues in March with planned visits to Virginia and maybe Kentucky.This year's Biofuel and Seed-Crushing Roadshow is coordinated by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, based in Pittsboro, NC. Funding is provided by the Risk Management Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, through a grant to the non-profit National Center for Appropriate Technology.

For general information about the tour, contact Fred Broadwell at Carolina Farm Stewardship Association at 919-542-2402 (office) or 919-943-1068 (cell).

More information can be found on our website
here.

Research & Analytics Lab Services

Lab Technician Greg

Our Research department offers low-cost testing services for fleets and other biodiesel producers. We have the capability of testing biodiesel, biodiesel blends, feedstock quality, and glycerin too!


Check out our affordable lab services page and see if we can help you meet your fuel quality goals today! 

Yes. We are the smallest BQ-9000 accredited facility in the US and the only BQ-9000 producer in North Carolina!


In This Issue
Craven County Bus Project Complete
Partners in Sustainability
Biofuel & Seed-Crushing Roadshow
Research & Analytics Lab Services
Membership Update
Lyle sets another record in recruiting new  members!

Thanks to all of our members that responded to our membership phone drive. We connected with over 150 of the Piedmont Biofuels membership and then ate some wonderful home made pizza from Tami and Arlo!

If you still need to update your contact and membership information, feel free to renew online at www.biofuels.coop!
Biodiesel Tax Incentive Alert

Currently, Biodiesel no longer receives a dollar per gallon tax credit. However, with your help, we can get this tax credit reinstated so that the biodiesel industry can continue to flourish and prosper.

The biodiesel tax credit pays for itself by creating more tax revenue than is spent.  In 2009, the 450 million gallons of fuel produced by the US biodiesel industry supported 23,000 jobs in all sectors of the economy, added $4.1 billion to the US GDP, and generated $828 million in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments.  That means the government spent $450mm on the credit and got back $828mm in revenue.  Plus a lot of jobs. 

Since the credit was passed the industry has grown from 25 million gallons in 2004 to 700 million gallons in 2008, displacing millions of barrels of petroleum and helping to make the US more energy independent.

Help us create more competitive pricing for biodiesel at the pump! Call your elected officials today.
Cold Weather Update

B100 trail links


Just a gentle reminder from all of us at Piedmont that our B100 trail pumps currently contain B75 (except for our Mocure pump, which still contains B100 for all the die-hards out there).

We blend our fuel down to B75 so that it flows freely during our cold winter weather, but be advised that you may want to add a little petroleum diesel to your tanks when the thermometer dips below 20 degrees, just to be on the safe side.
Featured Partner in Sustainability: Natty Greene's

Natty Greene's

Every month we like to highlight some of the great folks who recycle their used fryer oil with Piedmont Biofuels. This month we're honoring Natty Greene's of Greensboro.

We're incredibly grateful for Natty Greene's high-quality grease (and their high-quality beers) and excited by the news that they will be opening a new location this March in downtown Raleigh at 505 W. Jones St. Beer-lover's rejoice!

For more info on Natty Greene's and their new location, check out this article at NewRaleigh.com.
Grease Goddess Update

Moya, the Grease Goddess, in all her glory.

Our Grease Goddess Moya and her oil collection A-Team procure used cooking from restaurants, country clubs, universities and schools around the Triad and Triangle.


She is working hard to expand Piedmont's Oil Collection business and would love to take any and all of your waste vegetable oil. Already on board? Spread the word.

In our efforts gain visibility with local restaurants, we recently became an allied member of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association

We look forward this new partnership!

Moya can be reached at greasegoddess[at]biofuels.coop

Quick Links

Upcoming Events
Eco-Industrial Park Tours Every Sunday at 1pm and the first Friday of every month!

220 Lorax Lane
Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312

 Thank you For Your Membership

Together we continue to bring clean,renewable fuels throughout the Piedmont of North Carolina. Don't forget to renew your membership today for 2010.


Contact Information

Membership Services
Rachel Burton and Lyle Estill
919-321-8260