[Biodiesel News] Biodiesel refinery first in the Delta

Biodiesel refinery first in the Delta
Delta Democrat Times (subscription) - Greenville,MS,USA
GREENVILLE - Construction of Greenville's first biodiesel refinery is about to get under way at a site on North Broadway. Scott ...

GREENVILLE - Construction of Greenville's first biodiesel refinery is about to get under way at a site on North Broadway.

Scott Petroleum began clearing the site in May for construction of the plant that will use a variety of feed stock oils for its biodiesel blend.

“It's been about a year and a half in the making,” said Darrell Forman, special projects manager for Scott Petroleum. “We've had a lot of input and a lot of hard work on the part of Tommy Hart and the Industrial Foundation. Our county and city leaders have been very supportive.”

Designers and planners have also played a vital role in getting the refinery plans this far, Forman said.



“We feel like we have taken the very best of people and developed a team to bring alternative energy to our customers, to answer our customers' call for alternative energy,” Forman said, “and also as everyone is trying to do, reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”

Construction of process equipment is already under way, said Forman, and site work is nearly complete.

“We'll begin constructing the building, the terminal, tank farm, the barge loading facility and the fuel truck rack all within the next four to six weeks,” he said. They expect to start production in mid-February and will employ 25-30 people.

“We're pleased with where we are right now,” said Solon Scott, owner of Scott Petroleum. “We are anxious to go ahead and get the project completed so that we can begin our sales efforts.”






It's never been more economically feasible to get into the biodiesel business.

“When the government came out and started offering a subsidy, it put it in a profitable position,” Scott said. “We just feel like it's an opportunity for us to be in the alternative energy arena.”

Biodiesel is a domestic, renewable fuel for diesel engines that is derived from natural oils, such as soybean, fish and poultry oils. It is blended with petroleum diesel to create a fuel that is cleaner than traditional diesels. Proponents of biodiesel also point to it as a solution to U.S. dependency on foreign oil.

The biodiesel available at the pump for consumers is a blend of refined vegetable oil and petroleum diesel. The blend most often found at retail outlets is 20 percent biodiesel, referred to as B20, according to information from the Mississippi State Extension Service. Tractor manufacturer John Deere already approves B5 biodiesel in its engines and last year began shipping tractors and combines with B2 biodiesel.

Another Mississippi company has purchased 4.5 acres of land in the same general area as the Scott Petroleum property.

Earth Biofuels LLC in Jackson will convert a bulk storage facility that borders Lake Ferguson into a biodiesel plant.

The Earth Biofuels plant will be the company's fourth and its second in Mississippi. The other plant is in Meridian.

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Posted by Vince to Biodiesel News at 9/13/2006 06:08:00 AM