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Piedmont Biofuels Newsletter
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Chris Jude skimming Sorghum juice while cooking it down to syrup!
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Tales from the Plant
| November 2010
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Greetings!
There is a lot happening at the Plant and with Piedmont Biofuels over the next couple of months. We are preparing for work in the winter and experimenting with innovative ideas to increase efficiency with turning our feedstock into fuel.
As you know, we started blending on October 15th. We are using B80 (80% biodiesel and 20% petro) on all the trail locations except Moncure. You will be able to get B100 there through the winter.
Our partnerships with colleges and universities are going strong. We shipped a Monforts Filter Press to CCCC and have begun working on a methoxide system for Appalachian State University.
October saw many successful projects and events, including: Shakori Hills education series, partnering with Davidson College for a work weekend, and a Halloween Pizza Party with our woodburning oven.
Our tours this month had a long list of attendees - UNC, Woods Charter School, Southern Pines Garden Club, and many more. The Abundance Foundation kid's tours have gone from 300 attendees in 2009 to 900 attendees in 2010!
Stay posted for more events and information. As always, we appreciate all your support!
Sustainably yours,
Piedmont Biofuels
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Canola Coming to Town!
Years ago Andy McMahan, who teaches over at Central Carolina Community College, had the idea that we should be planting oilseed crops in our medians and along the sides of our highways.
We thought that was a fantastic idea.
Meanwhile, someone over at the North Carolina Department of Transportation had the same idea. They gave a grant to Dr. Matt Veal at NC State University, and he's been planting oilseed crops in the ditches for the past couple of years.
One day Andy and Lyle drove across the lake to visit with the Department of Transportation and to explain to them how Pittsboro is actually the "Biodiesel Capital of North Carolina," and should be included in their planting decisions.
What makes us the Biodiesel Capital is Andy's amazing biofuels program on the western edge of our town, and Piedmont on the eastern edge. Imagine our delight to learn that in October Dr. Veal and company seeded 6 miles of canola seeds along the highway 64 bypass that circles our town to the north.
Come spring it is scheduled to be an amazing swath of knee high yellow flowers that will be stunning to anyone passing through Pittsboro. It will stretch from the exit one would take to get to Piedmont all the way to the exit one would take to get to the College. And those flowers will set millions of little black seeds that will be chocked full of oil that can be turned into fuel.
We were asked if we could crush the seeds, and we said we would be delighted to participate. No doubt Central Carolina Community College will also be involved.
At the end of the day we trade in good ideas. Ideas constantly surface, get pulverized by an intense group of passionate people, and the ones that survive come to pass. Andy gets a point for this one, and we are delighted to see that the idea withstood the pulverization process.
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Biodiesel Research Facility at EcoComplex NC November marks the start of a collaborative project between Catawba County, Appalachian State University, and Piedmont Biofuels to supply a modular biodiesel research facility at the EcoComplex, an eco-industrial park located at the Blackburn landfill.
The goal of the EcoComplex is to facilitate synergistic public-private partnerships that minimize waste and optimize energy recovery and utilization. The long term goal is to serve NC and regional biodiesel producers and encourage integrated and distributed biorefineries. Catawba Project Manager Jeremy Ferrell, with the help of ASU Catawba County, and the Blackburn Landfill have orchestrated a one-of-a-kind project harvesting methane gas from the landfill, creating power for the grid and facility, and producing all the heat the biofuels facility will need as a co-product.
Over the next two months we will be busy designing and building core processing equipment for this facility including a Methanol/Catalyst Mix Tank, Biodiesel Reactor, and Methanol Recovery System. Check out Jeremy Ferrell's blog for more information.
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 Piedmont will be performing a workshop on Dec 5th at the annual CFSA conference in Winston-Salem, NC at 12:30pm. Title: Seed crushing for Fuel, Feedstock and Culinary Oils
Workshop Description: Piedmont Biofuels, a known leader in the biofuels field, is now expanding into the area of small-scale oilseed pressing. The result of the process are high quality cold-pressed oils and feed. Come learn about this exciting value-added opportunity and gets hands-on training with their German-made Monfort Komet seedpress. Workshop will be hosted by David Thornton and McCayne Miller, featuring PBI's mobile field to fuel clean technology demonstration unit. Check out the CFSA website for more information on the conference and registration details.
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Piedmont Biofuels is Hiring 
Piedmont Biofuels is currently looking to fill the Research Coordinator position. This person will be directly involved in the development of our enzymatic production process both on a lab and pilot scale. This is a good opportunity for someone interested in getting in early on a new and exciting technology in the industry. The position begins immediately. Click here for details on how to apply or visit our website.
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Member Referral
Members can pick up one of the B100 Maps at your local fueling station starting in the next two weeks. You will find them in the front door of the Moncure and Pittsboro tanks, inside a box near the Raleigh, Burlington, and Carrboro tanks.
Piedmont Biofuels is gearing up for a Membership Drive that will continue throughout the rest of 2010!
We will be focusing on a few areas:
- Residents in and around Saxapahaw
- Current members friends and family
- Folks or small businesses that are interested in having a private tank
Please take a moment to send us some names and numbers of the above listed groups that you think would be a good match for Piedmont. We couldn't do it without our members and are hoping to continue to increase the amount of fuel we are putting out into the world.
You can contact McCayne Miller, Membership Coordinator with any questions or ideas.
919-321-8260
mccayne@biofuels.coop
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Funky Tunes
Come see Piedmont Biofuels' own musical talent, David Thornton, member of Howie DeWitt at some of our partners' events!  |
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Grease Goddess Update
LET'S WELCOME OUR NEWEST PARTNERS IN SUSTAINABILITY:
- The Oxford - Raleigh's First Gastropub MEET.EAT.DRINK. You can also catch live music!
- The Hibernian - Our newest account and a contemporary Irish pub where you catch special events in addition to good grub and brews.
- Sushi Nine - A new Asian cuisine bar and grill on Western Blvd, due to open in November. This is the newest venture of Tony Vikitsreth, enthusiastic supporter of Piedmont and owner of Sushi Thai in Raleigh, where have picked up for almost two years.
We are looking for more grease and more partners in our journey to continue to put biodiesel out into the world. If you have a suggestion or some information on a potential restaurant, give Moya a call. 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.
Moya can be reached at greasegoddess[at]biofuels.coop |
FROM TABLE TO TANK......
When deciding where to enjoy your lunch or dinner, check the front entrance for the Piedmont Biofuels Partner logo.
Grease Appreciation:
Sitti, the hottest authentic Lebanese cuisine in downtown Raleigh, joined the Piedmont team in early 2009.
Since then we have been spinning the clean, quality used oil from the fryers in our locally sourced B100.
The staff at Sitti are a delight to work with and the food and ambiance are unmatched. I appreciate their ongoing efforts and to show our heartfelt gratitude, we are taking our next Grease Appreciation dinner to Sitti.
Please join us on November 17th at 6:30 pm for an unforgettable evening and help us thank those who make our biodiesel possible!
Sitti
137 S. Wilmington St.
Raleigh, NC 27601 ____________
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| Contact Information |
Membership Services
McCayne Miller
919-321-8260
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