Viridis Fuels to open Californian biodiesel facility

Biodiesel producer Viridis Fuels has received approval from the East Bay Municipal Utility District Board of Directors to build a 20 million gallon a year biodiesel processing facility in West Oakland, California.

The plant will be built next to a water treatment facility and will include the construction of rail and truck loading facilities, a power plant and a tank storage farm.

It will not take power from the grid to operate but instead generate all electricity through its own combined heat and power system.

The facility will be able to take multiple feedstocks, such as organic grease and oil waste, as well as algae, jatropha and Camelina; and will not use water throughout the production process.

Glycerin, a byproduct of the biodiesel manufacturing process, will be fed into anaerobic digesters on the site, producing 1MW, powering the facility and 1,500 homes.

The project is expected to cost about $80 million (€57 million).