Web exclusive posted Feb. 11, 2009, at 4:23 p.m. CST

BioFuelBox Corp. recently announced success in removing a technical obstacle that has prevented wide-scale conversion of waste greases. "Historically there have been many challenges producing biodiesel from waste greases," said Steve Perricone, president and chief executive officer of BioFuelBox. "Over the last 5 years the BioFuelBox team has systematically addressed each of them and has recently overcome one of the most daunting – the removal of sulfur in order to meet on-road ASTM specifications."

San Jose, Calif.-based BioFuelBox has developed a modular, containerized biodiesel process that produces ASTM-quality biodiesel from high free fatty acid (FFA) feedstocks. Through a suite of technologies in the pretreatment, process and fuel purification steps of biodiesel production, it can handle up to 100 percent FFA content, high contamination levels and high water content, according to Rick Reddy, vice president of marketing for BioFuelBox. Because the company has targeted difficult feedstocks and concentrated on producing ASTM-quality fuel, the resulting biodiesel has had few problems passing the new cold soak tests, Reddy added.

The company's first commercial installation is nearing start up at a potato processing plant. While the agricultural processor has found markets for its waste fryer oil, it has been stockpiling the lower quality waste oil and greases in an outdoor pond to be periodically hauled away for landfilling. BioFuelBox will be processing that feedstock with its unit. The company is developing a business model where BioFuelBox owns and operates biodiesel processors set up at industrial locations with convertible waste streams. Reddy said the company is negotiating its first industrial contract now.