Tuesday, July 4, 2006
High oil prices are creating a demand for alternative fuels that Christos Glynos is keen to meet.
Glynos, 51, a businessman based in Bethlehem, is venturing into biodiesel production.
"I've always been fascinated with biodiesel and it is good to be associated with a positive product," Glynos said. "We are not going to replace oil, but we have to take baby steps, and alternative fuels can replace some of the demand for oil."
Biodiesel -- made from raw vegetable oils after a process called transesterification -- is organic, biodegradable and nontoxic. It can be used to power diesel engines and is commonly mixed with regular diesel fuel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
A federal Department of Agriculture study estimates biodiesel demand will eventually rise to at least 124 million gallons a year.
At his company, BioPur Inc., Glynos says he will produce between 450,000 and 1.5 million gallons of biodiesel fuel annually. Production is scheduled to begin later this month. Soy oil, imported from the Midwest, will be used to make the biodiesel.
The price of the biodiesel produced at his 75-foot-by-160-foot facility in Bethlehem will follow the oil market, Glynos said. "It is a commodity, so the price will fluctuate," he said.
So far, Glynos, owner of the Painted Pony Restaurant in Bethlehem, said he has employed an engineer and a marketing person for the biodiesel venture.
"In the beginning, we will be frugal, and when the business picks up we will employ more people," he said.
Using his own money thus far, Glynos said he thinks the venture will break even in the next two to three years.
On Wednesday, he has invited Gov. M. Jodi Rell; Sen. Louis C. DeLuca, R-Woodbury, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the plant.
"This is an emerging technology, and the senator wants to support a local entrepreneur," said Adam Grabinski, a spokesman for DeLuca.