Benefuel forms joint venture with Flint Hills Resources Renewables

Benefuel Inc., a developer of solid catalyst biodiesel refining platform for renewable fuel production, and Flint Hills Resources Renewables LLC, an ethanol producer, formed a joint venture company on May 23, to develop biodiesel refineries in the U.S. using Benefuel’s patented ENSEL refining technology. The joint venture is named as Duonix, LLC.
Benefuel’s ENSEL technology utilizes high free fatty acid feedstocks, such as corn oil from ethanol refining, waste vegetable oils, animal fats, and unrefined oils and converts them into biodiesel through ENSEL’s solid acid catalyst reactor, which combines esterification and transesterification into a single process step.
The joint venture is actively developing its first project, which is a retrofit of the 50 million gallon per year biodiesel facility in Beatrice, Nebraska. The Beatrice refinery was acquired by Flint Hills Resources out of bankruptcy and has since been transferred to Duonix.
Jeremy Bezdek, managing director of Flint Hills Resources Renewables, said, “After significant validation of the Benefuel technology, we are looking forward to demonstrating its commercial application and the competitive advantage we expect it will offer. We are excited to partner with Benefuel to bring this next-generation biofuels technology to market.”
Rob Tripp, CEO of Benefuel, said, “Benefuel’s goal is to reduce the operating cost of producing biodiesel and ultimately compete on par with petroleum diesel. After working on this for six years, it is tremendously rewarding to receive the committed collaboration of two, world-class corporations.”
(May 27, 2013)