Flower Power in Raleigh: City Converting Sunflowers into Biofuel

A North Carolina city is in the process of turning yellow into green. In an effort to reduce the rising cost of fuel, the city of Raleigh is using flower power in a pilot program that will convert sunflowers into biofuel. 

“We felt the pinch in the budget this year (as) fuel prices skyrocketed. We felt the pain just like anyone else. We’re looking for ways that can reduce the impact,” Project manager Tim Woody of the Raleigh Public Utilities Department said.

The city spent approximately $12,000 to plant sunflowers earlier this  year.  The patch of yellow sunflowers, planted on nearly 50 acres of land on the southeast side of town near the wastewater treatment plant, will be harvested sometime in the fall.   Treated wastewater from the nearby plant waters the flowers.  The harvested sunflower seeds will be sold to a company that will convert the seeds into fuel. Rich in oil, the seeds are dried and crushed and the extracted oil is converted into biofuel. The fuel would be purchased and used to power the wastewater equipment.

“The government has a role, I believe, in promoting and using some of these alternative energy technologies,” Woody said. Although still in developmental stage, the pilot program may one day power Raleigh’s tractors, mowers, trucks and other city vehicles and equipment. Each planted acre could potentially produce up to 100 gallons of fuel.

Not new to the green scene, Raleigh also grows vegetables near the wastewater facility that is sold for animal feed.

Photo: Wynand van Niekerk