The US is to add a bio refinery production facility to its eco portfolio, with the creation of a plant that makes bio-based jet fuel from household rubbish. The company behind its construction,Abengoa,says it will be the first of its kind in the country.
Located in the state of Nevada, the Spanish company claims annual output from the plant will reach 10 million gallons.
Abengoa will be responsible for the engineering, design, construction and commissioning of the project, which is being done on behalf of renewable fuel producer Fulcrum BioEnergy for its Sierra BioFuels initiative.
Abengoawas given the green light to progress with the 185m (205m) biofuel production facility, which will take around two years to build,last week. Once it is up and running, the Nevada site will use approximately 200,000 tonnes of refuse, otherwise known as municipal solid waste (MSW), to produce the 10 million gallons quoted. The household waste would otherwise end up in the local landfill site, where it can have a detrimental impact on the local environment.
The news of the facility comes at an important time for biofuel producers and enables Abengoa to strengthen its position in a market where aviation fuel demand is on the rise. Bio-Based World News reported in October the news that Qantas was to halve its carbon emissions by using 50% bio jet fuel to power its planes for all its flights from Australia to the US.
Abengoa has spent more than a year working on the preliminary engineering and procurement works for the plant that will be built in Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center in order to minimise possible risks during construction.
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