Since the initial plant commissioning, approximately two million gallons of quality biodiesel have been produced, some of which is from 100% animal fat feedstock. The refinery has used a variety of feedstocks with free fatty acid (FFA) levels ranging from less than 2% to approximately 7% in sustained production runs at near-throughput design rates using Nova Biosource’s proprietary, patented process technology.
Future test runs in the start-up phase are expected to include feedstocks with FFA levels of up to 20%. The ability of the biodiesel refinery to process feedstocks with higher FFA levels is significant because these feedstocks tend to cost less than feedstocks with lower FFA levels.
Sanimax President and CEO Mike Langenhorst said: ‘We are very excited to have this plant producing ASTM 6751 quality biodiesel from high free fatty acid animal fats. The Nova Biosource technology and the resultant biodiesel fuel have met and exceeded our expectations in terms of throughput and feedstock flexibility.’
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle recently toured the Sanimax facility in DeForest. Langenhorst commented: ‘We were honoured to showcase to the Governor our state-of-the art facility that is currently producing the highest quality biodiesel fuel in the market. His visit demonstrates to the biodiesel industry the high level of interest in innovative methods of renewable energy production.’
