Biodiesel producer and technology developer Biodico announced in October that the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center presented the results of a five-year joint research and development project with Biodico to Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Dennis McGinn, the California Energy Commission, and California Gov. Jerry Brown’s staff.

A group of 30 dignitaries toured the Biodico Facility Technology Test Site on Naval Base Ventura County to see the results of two CEC grants involving collaboration between Biodico, the U.S. Navy, UC Davis, CalPoly San Luis Obispo and others.

“The Navy does not run without diesel fuel, and a major weather event like Hurricane Katrina can disrupt up to 29 percent of the nation’s strategic energy reserves and fuel production,” said Kyle Lawrence of the Environmental Security Department at NAVFAC EXWC. “That vulnerability is one of the major reasons why we have had a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Biodico since 2002, to develop a network of regional, distributed renewable fuels and energy facilities ‘inside the fence’ giving the DOD immediate access to both fuel and energy.”

The tour included a review of several significant proprietary breakthroughs in biofuel and bioenergy production, including real-time remote process control, anaerobic co-digestion, waste gasification, and high-volume sustainable feedstocks.

“The work being done here is a potential game changer for implementation throughout the Navy and Marine Corps,” said McGinn. “This facility exemplifies a self-sufficient solution that can help make our fuel and energy supplies more secure, while lowering costs.”

The tour of Biodico’s facility took place just weeks after Gov. Brown signed a climate bill that is expected to expand renewable energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels in California. 

During the tour, CEC Commissioner Janea Scott said, “It is great to see the positive results of CEC funded grant projects, but when is this technology going to be commercialized?”

Russ Teall, Biodico founder and president responded, “We have a new plant being commissioned right now in the San Joaquin Valley, where the biobased fuel and energy will be used by the local farmers and truckers in one of the most economically depressed areas of the state. Secretary McGinn toured the site in August and we expect to be in production within the next two weeks. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony during the Thanksgiving break, and everyone here is invited to attend.”

Biodico also said it will be completing construction of its new 10 MMgy biodiesel plant at Naval Base Ventura County. Teall said Biodico has identified additional military locations with the Navy and CRADA partners and additional civilian locations modeled after our San Joaquin Valley facility.