N.C. Senator Kay Hagan announces Green Energy Investment in Pittsboro, NC

Not only is real estate and employment looking up lately, but a small business in Pittsboro has some news to celebrate as well!

What follows is an excerpt of a press release from U.S. Senator Kay Hagan’s website dated Monday, November 23, 2009.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) today announced that Piedmont Biofuels Industrial in Pittsboro will receive a $139,249 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant for innovative clean energy research and development.

“Last year, I visited Piedmont Biofuels and saw firsthand their groundbreaking work in green energy,” Hagan said. “Today’s grant is a critical investment in a North Carolina small business that is helping to ensure that the state is a leader in the sustainable energy economy.”

“Our research staff at Piedmont Biofuels is delighted to partner with the Department of Energy and continue our work in the next generation of biofuels production. At Piedmont Biofuels we are actively evaluating and analyzing materials and technology to bring low-carbon fuels from concept to reality,” said Rachel Burton, Director of Research at Piedmont Biofuels.

Piedmont Biofuels will use the funds to develop advanced biodiesel production processes. These processes will enable biodiesel producers to reduce water usage and waste byproduct, as well as use lower grade feedstocks, such as poultry renderings. The company currently has 19 employees, and it believes the proposed innovation will lead to the hiring of additional research staff. The company’s commercial production facility in Pittsboro produces approximately 4,000 gallons of biodiesel a day using waste poultry fat or used cooking oil.

The Recovery Act funding is part of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which works to increase the participation of small, innovative companies in federally-funded research and development. Hagan, a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, voted to extend the program in July.

Hagan worked with her Senate colleagues to craft the Recovery Act to create and save jobs.

http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=390