Another North Carolina biodiesel plant nears start-up

Another North Carolina biodiesel plant nears start-up
Biodiesel Magazine - Grand Forks,ND,USA
by Dave Nilles. The second biodiesel plant in as many weeks is getting close to start-up in North Carolina. ... An in-house design was used for the biodiesel plant. ...

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The second biodiesel plant in as many weeks is getting close to start-up in North Carolina. An official from a 5 MMgy plant near Lenoir, N.C., said his facility produced a test batch of fuel last week.

Foothills Bio-Energies LLC is close to beginning production in a renovated adhesives factory. Randy Dellinger said the plant sent samples of its initial test batch to a third-party laboratory to conduct ASTM testing.

The plant is built in the former Southeastern Adhesives Co. facility in Lenoir, which is on the edge of the western third of the state. Dellinger said renovation began in February 2006 and was completed in September. The building offers the potential for large-scale biodiesel production due to its existing infrastructure, which includes reactors, mixers and tanks. “We stripped it down to what we needed,” Dellinger said.

An in-house design was used for the biodiesel plant. “We based it on existing components for the biodiesel process,” Dellinger said.

The plant will primarily use soy oil feedstock. Animal fats may also be used, Dellinger said. He said a distribution deal is already lined up with a company that has ties to the home heating oil market. Foothills Bio-Energies also has its own blender’s license, Dellinger said. It allows the group to blend down B100 for distribution.

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