If all goes as planned, a Pittsfield tannery that once produced leather alongside the Suncook River could soon become one of the greenest businesses around.

All thanks to vegetable oil.

Tony Giunta, Franklin's former mayor, and Sarandis Karathanasis, co-owner of Concord's Red Blazer Restaurant and Pub, have started a new business that will turn used vegetable oil into heat for homes and businesses.

The two will also supply restaurants with clean frying oil at reduced rates and then come back and pick up the used oil. At the Pittsfield site, they'll strip the used oil of water and food bits - a process that turns it into fuel - and then deliver it to customers who want it for their "veggie-oil" boilers.

With their company Amenico, Giunta and Karathanasis will also sell the boilers to home and business owners who want an alternative to propane and traditional heating oil. And one day, they hope to be helping people convert their cars to run on the used vegetable oil.

All of it will happen at the former home of Suncook Leather's tannery in Pittsfield, which Amenico is in the process of buying. Giunta and Karathanasis plan to be up and running by Aug. 1, Karathanasis said, and within months, create 25 jobs.

The project got a warm reception from the Pittsfield selectmen when they were briefed last month, said Town Administrator Leon Kenison. "Folks in Pittsfield have been trying to revitalize the economic health of the economy," he said. "And this could be the first brick in the foundation."

Selectmen Chairman Larry Konopka said he liked the possibility of new jobs and the fact that Amenico's business is environmentally friendly.

"It's definitely a positive," he said. "Anytime a business wants to move into a small community like ours, we are for it."

There are other companies in New Hampshire that collect used vegetable oil to reuse as fuel. But Tim Drew, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Services, said Amenico is the only business he knows of that's doing it all: delivering vegetable oil, collecting and refining it, distributing it, and selling the heating equipment to use it.

Giunta and Karathanasis come to this venture with more than a little experience.

Giunta has worked for the state Department of Environmental Services and, until recently, as an environmental consultant for a private company in Massachusetts. Karathanasis, meanwhile, has led a green revolution at the Red Blazer, where he and other co-owners began using used vegetable oil to heat their restaurant's water.

Karathanasis hired Giunta to help with the Blazer's conversion. They enjoyed it so much, that Giunta left the Massachusetts company, and the two created Amenico. "A consulting piece turned into a partnership," Karathanasis said.

The two have been testing their vegetable oil delivery and pickup on 100 customers and have another 100 interested in joining. Eventually, they'd like to get 1,000 customers involved. Karathanasis said buying in bulk allows him and Giunta to sell the oil for less than the businesses could get it on their own.

Membership in that buying "co-op" also means business and home owners will get first crack and a discount on the refined, used oil for heating purposes. They can also get a discount on the burner and boiler system needed to heat their properties with vegetable oil.

Giunta and Karathanasis are figuring their prices for equipment and used vegetable oil. Giunta said a burner and boiler system for heating a home or restaurant will cost between $4,500 and $5,500. And he estimated that the used vegetable oil will cost about $1 less a gallon than traditional heating fuels.

They've tried to anticipate the likely questions and concerns.

What if Amenico can't deliver enough used vegetable oil to supply everyone with a veggie-oil boiler? Those systems can also run on regular heating oil, Giunta said.

Is this a new, untested idea? Giunta and Karathanasis say no. They are selling KingBuilt boilers, an established line, and will be authorized to warranty and service the equipment.

Will my home smell like french fries? They and others say that's not a problem.

Are there environmental risks? Again, the two say no. Used vegetable oil is nontoxic and nonhazardous, they said. And nothing during the refining process changes that. In fact, the byproduct of that process can be composted, the said.

The partners are also proud that they've kept their operation very local in the interest in conserving energy. While some operations send used vegetable oil overseas to be refined, Amenico will do it locally, near the places it's collected and, later, distributed.

Giunta and Karathanasis had hoped to also offer the refined vegetable oil to vehicle owners, as an alternative to diesel. They even had a deal to sell a car conversion kit that would allow diesel cars to run on veggie oil.

That's a big business elsewhere in the country, but the federal Environmental Protection Agency says it's illegal because no one has tested and certified vegetable oil as a fuel or any car to run on used oil. That process needs to happen first, according to EPA officials, to ensure vegetable oil meets the standards set out in the Clean Air Act.

Giunta has met with state and federal environmental officials about this part of the venture and has said he's looking for ways to answer their concerns. The vehicle piece of the operation remains a goal. Giunta said he hopes they can at least get permission to begin converting off-road vehicles, like construction equipment.

He has someone interested in testing that idea.

Jim Parker, owner of Parker and Daughter Construction in Pittsfield, is hoping to convert his fleet of six trucks and five excavators. They run on diesel now, and he figures he'll spend a third less on vegetable oil.

"I'm fed up with diesel prices," Parker said. "And it's good for the environment."

(For more information about Amenico, visit amenico.com or call 228-3611. Annmarie Timmins can be reached at 369-3323 or at atimmins@cmonitor.com.)