California's largest biodiesel plant opens
Aug 4, 2009 10:51 AM
Crimson Renewable Energy (Crimson), of Denver, Colo., announced the completion of its biodiesel and glycerin production facility. The new plant is designed to produce 30 million gallons of biodiesel per year, which would nearly double the state of California's current biodiesel production capacity of 34 million gallons per year.
Crimson's new Bakersfield production facility can utilize a wide variety of feed stocks such as waste inedible animal fats, used cooking oil, and virgin vegetable oils to produce low carbon and ultra-low carbon fuels to meet California's new Low Carbon Fuel Standard requirements for fuels with reduced carbon / GHG emissions.
Using lifecycle carbon/GHG emissions calculations released by the California Air Resources Board, biodiesel produced at the Crimson Bakersfield facility can reduce carbon/GHG emissions by to 337,000 metric tons per year. The facility also includes the capacity to process up to 50 million pounds per year of crude glycerin, to produce high-quality, refined glycerin, which is an important ingredient in a variety of industrial, personal care, pharmaceutical and food applications.
"From the outset, Crimson has planned on creating a sustainable approach to our business by focusing on the use of wide variety of feedstocks, trying to source as much as possible from within California, and by minimizing waste streams," said Crimson President Harry Simpson. "This strategy has also been driven by the shifting economics of various biodiesel feed stocks, and the by the changing regulatory environment that will drive long-term demand for low and ultra-low carbon fuels."
The California Air Resources Board recently made available for public comment an evaluation of biodiesel produced from used cooking oils for use as a compliance option for California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. This evaluation showed that biodiesel produced from used cooking oils can reduce carbon/GHG emissions by up to 86 percent compared to petroleum-based diesel fuel.
The Crimson biodiesel and glycerin production plant is a modular system that was designed and developed by Crimson's in-house engineering team, and features a closed loop, continuous production process that minimizes emissions and waste products. Crimson's Bakersfield production facility will operate as a seven day-per-week, 24-hour facility employing up to 22 people. It is strategically located to meet the needs of diesel fuel consumers in California's Central Valley, Central Coast and Los Angeles Basin.
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