Ohio plant begins ground work

January 10, 2007

BY Dave Nilles

Six years of hard work is coming to fruition for Michael Noll. The president and founder of Alternative Liquid Fuel (ALF) Industries said ground has been broken for the biodiesel facility he has been developing.

Financing was finalized Dec. 7, 2006, and a ceremonial groundbreaking was held the next day at a site near McArthur, Ohio. Dirt work is underway, according to Ken Reed, Vinton County community and economic development director. Noll said steel for the process building is on order.

Reed was a major reason ALF Industries sited its biodiesel project in McArthur. Noll said he considered several other sites for the biodiesel project, but a combination of economic incentives ultimately led him to the south-central Ohio town located 70 miles south of Columbus. "What's happened was finding the right bank and the right economic development team to put this together," Noll said.

ALF Industries' 6 MMgy biodiesel plant will be located on a portion of 200 acres that Vinton County developed several years ago. Reed said the site is equipped with basic utilities including electricity and municipal sewer.

Noll said construction on the building could be complete as soon as mid-April. BioKing of The Netherlands is providing the process equipment, which is expected on-site in April. "The actual construction will be very fast," Noll said. "The company we're buying the processors from will take 12 weeks from the time of the order to delivery."

ALF Industries is also working on a deal to become the U.S. distributor for BioKing's equipment. The McArthur plant will start-up at approximately 3.5 MMgy of capacity and be capable of processing multiple feedstocks, according to Noll.

Noll said he expects the plant to be commissioned in May. He said he will pursue BQ-9000 accreditation, which is the biodiesel industry's voluntary fuel quality assurance program.

ALF Industries will not be using a fuel marketer. Noll said much of the plant's biodiesel has already been pre-sold to distributors.

Once operational, the biodiesel plant is expected to add up to 25 jobs to the local economy, Reed said. The impact is expected to be significant in an area Reed said is "economically distressed."

"We're excited," Reed said. "We're hoping to see more development. I'd like to see this facility as a beginning."

Ohio has two operational biodiesel plants. American Ag Fuels is expanding a 3 MMgy plant in Defiance. Peter Cremer operates a 30 MMgy facility in Cincinnati. Jatrodiesel Inc. is developing a 5 MMgy project near Dayton.

Dave Nilles is Online Editor for Biodiesel Magazine. Reach him at dnilles@bbibiofuels.com or (701) 373-0636.

Posted: 2:02 p.m. CST Tuesday, January 23, 2007

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