Biodiesel producer and technology developer Biodico has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 4 for its 20 MMgy biodiesel production facility in Five Points, California. The facility, called Biodico Westside, is designed as a multifeedstock plant that will specialize in producing low carbon intensity fuels under California’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). 

Biodico provides heat and power for the operation through the processing of production byproducts. Crude glycerin is reformed into GBX, a proprietary formulation that is anaerobically digested. Solid biomass byproducts from feedstocks and from surrounding agriculture are gasified. A 20-kilowatt solar co-generation array adds additional heat and power to the site. In addition to a state-of-the-art laboratory for biodiesel quality control under existing ASTM standards, Biodico Westside is equipped to test biodiesel production in real time by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and liquid phase impedance EMF feedback, the company stated.

Several project partners have helped make the project possible, including Biodico’s long-standing Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. Navy, R&D support from the California Energy Commission, and joint projects with academia—West Hills College, Cal Poly and UC Davis—have all provided technologies and resources incorporated into the project. 

Biodico Westside is a partnership between Biodico and Red Rock Ranch, a multi-generational farming operation covering thousands of acres growing more than 40 crops with a strong commitment to R&D for decades.