First batch of biodiesel sold from REG Albert Lea

In Minnesota, US, biodiesel producer Renewable Energy Group (REG) commenced production at the newly acquired REG Albert Lea plant.

REG purchased the facility earlier this year after it stood idle for three years prior.

REG sold the first truckload of biodiesel on 25 August to the Trail's Travel Center in Albert Lea. The biodiesel is available via truck and rail from the new facility.

'We are offering REG-9000/1 biodiesel ideal for harvest tank fills and meeting demand created by Minnesota's B5 requirement and the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2),' says Gary Haer, vice president of sales and marketing at REG.

Both B99 and B100 are now available, which customers can collect at the 30 million gallon per year production plant.

'Bringing a commercial-scale biorefinery online after such a long production lapse can be a challenging task,' explains Brad Albin, vice president of manufacturing. However, the biodiesel exceeded ASTM D6751.

Originally, the plant began production in April 2005 when it manufactured biodiesel from vegetable oils. Since the REG takeover, the plant has been upgraded to process a wide variety of lower cost natural fats and oils including used cooking oil, inedible corn oil from ethanol production and high free fatty acid materials.

The facility has created over 20 fulltime positions and brings REG's owned/operated total capacity to more than 210 million gallons.