24/07/2013 Diamond Green Diesel project: Desmet contributes to the largest US based renewable diesel unit
In the USA, the Diamond Green Diesel project (joint venture between Valero subsidiary Diamond Alternative Energy LLC and Darling International) has reached mechanical completion and the startup process will lead to full production of renewable diesel.
Located in Norco, Louisiana, this 9,300 barrel-per-day (137 million gallon) plant will process recycled animal fat and used cooking oil as well as corn oil into renewable diesel fuel that has comparable properties to petroleum-based diesel. The renewable diesel can be shipped by pipeline and meets low-carbon fuel standards.
Diamond Green Diesel will be the largest consumer of recycled restaurant grease and animal fats in North America (1.1 billion pounds annually). As much as 11% of US used cooking oils and animal fats will be processed at this facility.
Proud to be part of this ambitious project, Desmet is providing an oil pretreatment unit ahead of the plant UOP's Ecofining pretreatment and hydrotreating/isomerization process which converts animal-based oils into hydrocarbon fuels.
For more information on Diamond Green Diesel, read this.