April 4, 2018 - Paul Morden, Sarnia Observer -�Benefuel, a company with offices in Ottawa and Texas, is working to build biodiesel refinery in Sarnia expected to begin operating in 2020 with more than 40 workers.Sarnia-based Bioindustrial Innovation Canada, a government-funded agency working to help new sustainable technologies reach the market, said Tuesday it has invested in Benefuel to allow it to complete engineering needed as a final step before building a plant in Sarnia.�We recognize the need for low carbon transportation fuels and Benefuel provides an important step forward to meet these goals,� Sandy Marshall, executive director of Bioindustrial Innovation Canada, said in a news release.Rob Tripp, chief executive officer of Benefuel, said the company is planning to build a plant in Sarnia with an annual capacity of 75-million litres.�We�re looking at leaving room to double the capacity down the road,� he added.Tripp said the company is still working through estimates for the cost of the Sarnia plant. He added, �We typically don�t disclose financial information.�Benefuel uses a unique refining technology to make biodiesel, Tripp said.�It is capable of processing all of the hard-to-process waste oils that are high in free fatty acids,� he said.The target feedstock for the Sarnia plant will be used cooking oil and distiller�s corn oil, which is a byproduct of ethanol refining.�We�ve spent a lot of our time scaling up our technology in Nebraska with Flint Hills Resources,� Tripp said.�That large-scale demonstration plant has been completed and is in operation now, and has given us a lot of good information for deploying the technology at a commercial scale.�Suncor Energy, one of Benefuel�s investors, has an ethanol plant in nearby St. Clair Township.That, along with the community�s industrial infrastructure, services, contractors and module fabricators, made Sarnia a good location for Benefuel, he said.Tripp added the company is also looking ahead at a clean fuel standard proposed in Canada.�Given that there�s a lack of low-carbon supply, we felt that our technology and ability to process the low-carbon waste feedstocks was a good fit for the area.�The Sarnia plant will be the first facility Benefuel owns and its modular design �really sets the foundation for how we grow the company,� Tripp said.He said Benefuel is looking at a few locations for its plant in Sarnia, including the Arlanxeo site where BioAmber is located and Sacramento-based Origin Materials is planning to build a production site.Bioindustrial Innovation Canada said it has been working with Benefuel for a number of years.�Sandy and his group are looking to develop renewable-based refining options in Sarnia, and I think we fit very well in the profile of companies they�re seeking to attract,� Tripp said.
