Award amount:  $167,061

Funding recipient:  Chatham County Economic Development Corporation, Pittsboro, NC

The Chatham County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC), in cooperation with Piedmont Biofuels and Novozymes, is researching enzymatic biodiesel processing methods and building a mobile enzymatic pilot plant.  Enzymatic processing can convert low-quality feedstocks into fuel and help funnel fats and oils currently too difficult to process, like brown grease and DAF sludge, toward fuel production. An estimated eight million gallons of brown grease are available in North Carolina alone with another 400,000 gallons of DAF sludge per chicken plant—all of which are otherwise composted or landfilled. In addition, enzymatic processing results in a cleaner glycerin co-product, reduces or eliminates the use of water and the associated disposal problem, and occurs at a lower temperature compared to competing next-generation catalysts.

Enzymatic Biodiesel Processing Unit
  June 2010

Leveraged funds reported: $51,000
North Carolina counties benefiting from this project: Chatham

For additional information about the impact of Biofuels Center funding and a brief explanation of award recipient reporting requirements, click here.