JatroDiesel, a company that has been manufacturing and marketing biodiesel processing equipment for the past two years, is now building its first production facility outside of Dayton, Ohio.

"We are just now getting into the production end of [the industry]," said Rajesh Mosali, chief executive officer of JatroDiesel. "A major advantage that we carry is that we are the equipment manufacturer."

Though the existing building, which has been vacant for nearly a decade, is nearly 100,000 square feet, JatroDiesel will only occupy about 2,000 for fuel processing. "The equipment is built, and the building is there," Mosali said. "We just need to have the final permits in hand before assembly can occur and production can begin."

The JatroDiesel plant will have multi-feedstock processing capabilities but will use mostly yellow grease and soybean oil. The company will also run a cooking oil recycling service for area restaurants. Bunge, a soybean crusher and oil blender, and Darling International, a recycler and renderer of animal waste products, will provide additional feedstock.

The facility will also have a testing laboratory on-site, and nearly every batch of the product will be tested. This is a quality assurance measure to guarantee that all of JatroDiesel's fuel will meet the requirements specified by the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM).

Mosali said the plant will not use water in the production process, which increases the shelf life of the final product. "We already have some buyers in the Dayton area," Mosali said. He added the company has identified two more plant sites for future projects.