The U.S. EPA on June 30 approved a Renewable Fuel Standard fuel pathway filed by Renewable Energy Group Inc. that will allow the company’s biorefinery in Geismar, Louisiana, to generate D4 biomass-based diesel renewable identification numbers (RINs) and D5 RINs for certain biofuels produced using carinata oil feedstock. According to EPA documents, the pathway petition request was filed by REG with the agency in March 2017.

The pathway approval applies to D4 RINs for renewable diesel and jet fuel and D5 RINs for renewable naphtha and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) produced from carinata oil through a hydrotreating process using natural gas and grid electricity for process energy at the Geismar facility.

In the approval document, the EPA estimates that fuel produced at the REG Geismar facility from carinata oil feedstock reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to the statutory petroleum baseline by approximately 57-64 percent for renewable diesel, 58-65 percent for renewable jet fuel, 57-65 percent for renewable naphtha, and 57-65 percent for renewable LPG.

A full copy of the pathway approval document can be downloaded from the EPA website.