Lyonsdale biofuel company receives grant from USDA

PORT LEYDEN — A small biofuel company in the town of Lyonsdale has been awarded $1,728 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development agency.

TMT Biofuels LLC, 3792 Hunkins Road, received the money through the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, designed to accelerate the production and use of advanced biofuels, according to a USDA release.

A total of $14.5 million was granted to 122 companies in 34 states, with payment allocation determined by the volume of biofuel each recipient produces.

TMT collects waste vegetable oil from facilities in Lewis, Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oneida and Herkimer counties and converts it into biofuel for diesel vehicles and home heating. The Toth family, which own the company, also operate trucking and logging businesses that run between 20 percent to 100 percent biodiesel fuel in their equipment, the TMT Web site states.