Clean fuel producers are unveiling an experimental production facility this morning that will test making biodiesel from sludge and other substances that are currently unsuitable for green energy production.
The facility, a pilot program between Novozymes and Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, is the first of its kind in the nation.
Typically, biodiesel is made from fry grease, which can be chemically processed and purified. But sludge from kitchens, known as "brown grease," and thick goo from chicken processing facilities is too degraded for biodiesel conversion with conventional methods.
The state has more than 8 million gallons of sludge, which is typically composted or put in landfills, according the N.C. Biofuels Center. Biodiesel can be used a substitute for petroleum-based diesel fuel.
The experimental biofuels processor will be at Piedmont Biofuels operation in Pittsboro. The company is working with Novozymes, the Franklinton-based producer of industrial enzymes, on a pilot project to test enzymatic biodiesel production on a larger scale.
Piedmont Biofuels is supplying the processing equipment, while Novozymes is the source of laboratory-bred enzymes.
The enzyme-based process is known to work, said Biofuels Center spokesman Norman Stit. But the trick is getting the cost down for an economically feasible production model.
The bio-demo gets going at 11 a.m. at 220 Lorax Lane.
