Photo: Piedmont Biofuels
June 15, 2012
BY Ron Kotrba
Pittsboro, N.C.-based Piedmont Biofuels will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 22 for its new FaESTER enzymatic biodiesel refinery. The plant is adjacent to Piedmont’s existing production facility.
Speakers will include Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board; North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan; Larry Shirley with the North Carolina Department of Commerce; Steven Burke, CEO of the Biofuels Center of North Carolina; and a Novozymes representative.
Novozymes is a global enzyme provider with production plant in North Carolina. The company has been a partner in this biodiesel project since its inception.
Construction of Piedmont’s new biodiesel plant was made possible with a three-year, $1.2 million U.S. DOE Small Business Innovation and Research grant.
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Most biodiesel is produced through transesterification using sodium methoxide. Piedmont’s new plant uses enzymes, not chemicals, for catalysis.
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