FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, OCT. 13, 2008

N.C. State Fair will turn used cooking oil into fuel

RALEIGH – Just call the N.C. State Fair’s latest eco-friendly endeavor “Funnel Cakes for Fuel.”

The State Fair has collected waste vegetable oil from food vendors in the past, but this year the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will have it processed into biodiesel for use in equipment at its 18 agricultural research stations. The fuel also will be used in department tractor-trailers that deliver commodities to schools throughout the state.

Fair organizers expect to collect about 8,000 gallons of the liquid that gives life to corn dogs, funnel cakes and fried candy bars.

“Our efforts at this year’s Fair are just an extension of the things we are already doing with biofuels research at the department,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Our Research Stations Division is heavily involved in biofuels studies, including work on oil crops such as canola and high-oil-content soybeans.”

The State Fair is working with two Durham companies on the project. Earthworx will collect the cooking oil and transport it to Carolina Biodiesel Inc. for processing.

The department has been using biodiesel on its research stations for several years. It also has set up small-scale biofuels processors at the Piedmont Research Station in Salisbury and Cherry Research Farm in Goldsboro. The department is in the planning stages for a large-capacity processor at the Oxford Research Station, which also is home to the N.C. Biofuels Center.

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