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New Cross-Border Bio-Diesel Project Converts Restaurant Waste Oil into Clean Energy Fuel
Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative awarded EPA funding to launch bi-national project to produce bio-diesel
for utilities along U.S.-Canada border
Seattle, WA — "Fast food" takes on a whole new meaning
thanks to an innovative project that will convert the fryer oil
from restaurants and food production into a cleaner bio-diesel
fuel for commercial utility vehicles.
The Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative (NWETC), an
outgrowth from the Washington Technology Center's Industries
of Distinction program, received a $69,777 grant from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct the Bio-Diesel
49 Degrees Border Project (Bio49).
Bio49 is a response to the EPA's "West Coast Collaborative,"
an initiative working to reduce diesel air pollution. The project
derives its name from the 49th parallel latitude that crosses
the U.S-Canada border near Washington state and British Columbia.
The EPA grant, along with matching funds totaling $280,000, will
be used to launch and fund the Bio49 project for one year.
"The Bio-Diesel 49 Project is an ideal model of a business
enterprise that blends technology innovation with environmental
health and safety," says Jeff Morris, director of the Northwest
Energy Technology Collaborative. "Producing bio-diesel fuel for
the commercial market creates industry growth and jobs,
repurposes a waste product into a raw material, and offers a
solution for cleaner air," Morris explains. "It's truly a
win-win-win situation."
Bio49 aims to product 144,000 gallons of bio-diesel fuel in
its first year of operation. This will replace 12,000 gallons
of on-road diesel fuel each month with cleaner burning bio-diesel,
reducing diesel emissions in the process. Replacing sulfur-based
diesel with bio-diesel reduces emissions of particulate matter
by 31 percent, carbon dioxide emissions by 24 percent, and
hydrocarbons by 50 percent.
Bio49 creates a new revenue stream for waste oil, used as
raw ingredient for the bio-fuel production, and serves as model
for workforce training programs in automotive and diesel
manufacturing at technical and vocational schools. In addition,
Bio49 aims to position the Northwest as a global leader in
alternative energy resources and create a sustainable bio-diesel
industry in the region.
The program and grant will be announced Monday, October 3
following a "Bio-Diesel for the 21st Century" forum in Seattle
hosted by Senator Maria Cantwell. A press event will be held at
the Columbia Tower in downtown Seattle.
The project will officially begin in January, with bio-diesel
production up and running, training underway and fuel being
delivered to the utilities for use in their vehicles.
About the Bio-Diesel 49 Degrees Border Project (Bio49)
Bio49 includes 11 bi-national partners who are collaborating
to produce and market bio-diesel fuel for commercial vehicles
and develop a bio-diesel industry in the Pacific Northwest.
Puget Sound Energy will use the fuel in a fleet of their
utility vehicles that run along the U.S.-Canada border, testing
various blends of the fuel ranging from 5 percent to 100 percent
bio-diesel. Bio-diesel processors will be set up at Bellingham
Technical College and students will be training on how to perform
the process, which will be incorporated into the college's academic
curricula. The Washington Restaurant Association will be providing
the used food oil, the base material, for the bio-diesel processing.
A parallel program will be set up with BC Hydro and partners
in British Columbia. The processors and training are being
provided by Bio-Diesel Works, a Bellingham company for both
Washington and British Columbia. NWETC will oversee and manage
the project and, with the help of WTC, will provide outreach
and education on the program to stakeholders, the public and the media.
For more information about Bio49, please contact NWETC at 206-616-3098.
Fact Sheet FAQ Partners
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Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative (NWETC)
NWETC is a joint effort of business, government, non-profit and
education working together to accelerate the emergence and growth
of the energy technology industry in the Pacific Northwest.
Founded in 2002, NWETC is an outgrowth of the Washington
Technology Center's Industries of Distinction Program. Today,
NWETC's cooperative of partnerships extends across the northwest
region of the U.S. and Canada-a region that is home to nearly
300 energy technology companies. The Collaborative focuses its
efforts in three areas: research and development, commercialization
services, and regional branding. For more information visit
http://www.nwetc.com.
Washington Technology Center (WTC)
WTC is a statewide economic development organization focused on
technology and innovation. Our mission is to spark ideas, form
connections between people and resources, and foster job growth
to position Washington as a national technology leader. WTC is
the only statewide agency working with local and regional partners
across Washington to drive technology economic development.
In its 22-year history, WTC has supported more than 420 technology
projects at state universities and research centers. The impact of
WTC's work over the past two decades has generated over $359 million
in additional investment for Washington companies and researchers.
For more information visit http://www.watechcenter.org.
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