FutureFuel plans to expand newly acquired Arkansas plant
October 13, 2006
BY Dave Nilles
The former Eastman Chemical Co. biodiesel plant in Batesville, Ark., is expected to undergo yet another expansion, its new owner announced. FutureFuel Chemical Co. is planning to more than double capacity at the 24 MMgy facility by the end of next year.
FutureFuel Chemical Company was created from the sale of Eastman's Arkansas operations. FutureFuel's acquisition of the plant was finalized Tuesday. On July 24 Eastman Chemical announced it had entered an agreement to sell its Arkansas facility and related business to St. Louis-based Viceroy Acquisition Corp., now renamed FutureFuel Corp.
"This acquisition brings a combination of talented people and excellent, but under utilized, facilities," according to Future Fuel Corp. CEO Lee Mikles. "We plan to use this combination of assets to aggressively grow the biofuels production capabilities at the Arkansas site."
The company intends to renovate the existing chemical manufacturing facilities to expand its biodiesel production. The project includes adding bulk raw material, and finished product storage and handling facilities to accommodate the increased production.
FutureFuel Chemical Co. President and COO Randy Powell said the plant is expected to reach 40 MMgy of capacity by spring 2007. "We anticipate significant increases beyond the 40 million gallon capacity by late next year," he said.
The Batesville biodiesel plant began producing 3 MMgy of biodiesel in October 2005 and is a BQ-9000 accredited producer. BQ-9000 is the biodiesel industry's voluntary fuel quality assurance program. The plant has been scaled up in stages to its current capacity.
The 2,200-acre Batesville complex manufactures a range of specialty chemicals used in detergents, agricultural products, paints and coatings, and others. By early 2007 FutureFuel also plans to produce wood pellets from for use in residential and light commercial wood stoves.
Dave Nilles is Online Editor for Biodiesel Magazine. Reach him at dnilles@bbibiofuels.com or (701) 373-0636.
Posted: 10:47 a.m. CST Friday, November 3, 2006
FutureFuel Chemical Company was created from the sale of Eastman's Arkansas operations. FutureFuel's acquisition of the plant was finalized Tuesday. On July 24 Eastman Chemical announced it had entered an agreement to sell its Arkansas facility and related business to St. Louis-based Viceroy Acquisition Corp., now renamed FutureFuel Corp.
"This acquisition brings a combination of talented people and excellent, but under utilized, facilities," according to Future Fuel Corp. CEO Lee Mikles. "We plan to use this combination of assets to aggressively grow the biofuels production capabilities at the Arkansas site."
The company intends to renovate the existing chemical manufacturing facilities to expand its biodiesel production. The project includes adding bulk raw material, and finished product storage and handling facilities to accommodate the increased production.
FutureFuel Chemical Co. President and COO Randy Powell said the plant is expected to reach 40 MMgy of capacity by spring 2007. "We anticipate significant increases beyond the 40 million gallon capacity by late next year," he said.
The Batesville biodiesel plant began producing 3 MMgy of biodiesel in October 2005 and is a BQ-9000 accredited producer. BQ-9000 is the biodiesel industry's voluntary fuel quality assurance program. The plant has been scaled up in stages to its current capacity.
The 2,200-acre Batesville complex manufactures a range of specialty chemicals used in detergents, agricultural products, paints and coatings, and others. By early 2007 FutureFuel also plans to produce wood pellets from for use in residential and light commercial wood stoves.
Dave Nilles is Online Editor for Biodiesel Magazine. Reach him at dnilles@bbibiofuels.com or (701) 373-0636.
Posted: 10:47 a.m. CST Friday, November 3, 2006
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