Production began at the Green Bison soybean processing facility in Spiritwood, a joint venture between global agribusiness giant Archers Daniels Midland (ADM) and US refiner Marathon Petroleum.
The first plant and refinery dedicated to crushing soy in North Dakota, the US$ 350 million complex at the Spiritwood Energy Park Association industrial park, aims to meet the growing demand for renewable fuel, more specifically, renewable green diesel, as announced by the companies on November 14.
ADM has a 75% stake in the venture, while the remaining 25% belongs to Marathon Petroleum.
ADM and Marathon biorefinery boost renewable green diesel production
With a processing capacity of 150,000 bushels/day of soybeans. The companies stated that the complex will produce approximately 272,155 tons/year of refined soybean oil. The production of around 284 million liters/year of renewable green diesel is used for this oil.
“The continued growth in demand for renewable green diesel is a transformative opportunity. This benefits the oilseed industry, producers and expands the sustainable transportation footprint,” said Greg Morris, president of ADM’s Ag Services & Oilseeds business.
Meanwhile, Marathon Petroleum's renewable diesel joint venture, located in Martinez, California, expects to reach total capacity of 2.7 billion liters/year by the end of the year. Biomass magazine published the information.
The biorefinery reached the full production capacity of Phase I. This phase, developed in partnership with the Finnish renewable fuel producer Neste, reached 984 million liters/year. The October 31 report indicated that the milestone was recorded in the first quarter of this year.
At the beginning of this year, Phase II began its activities. The objective is to add a raw material pre-treatment unit. Furthermore, they seek to increase capacity as a whole, as mentioned by Biomass magazine.
Source: Oils & Fats International
