From fryer to fuel injector?Elgin man seeks permit for plant to turn vegetable oil into biodiesel

GENOA - An Elgin man is looking to get in on what some say could be the future of energy in America by setting up a small-scale biodiesel production facility in Genoa. Donald Eaton has applied for zoning changes that would allow him to begin producing vegetable-oil-based biodiesel in a 40-by-40-foot building at 115 Monroe St., Suite 2. &#8220I'm really confident that this is really the wave of the future,” Eaton, a retired computer consultant and manager, said Thursday. His plan is to begin by selling biodiesel to homeowners with heating systems fueled by heating oil and later to expand into vehicle fuel sales. He hopes his one-man company will eventually grow to about 12 employees. Biodiesel can &#8220completely eliminate our reliance on