September 20, 2019
BY The Iowa Biodiesel Board
Western Dubuque Biodiesel has received recognition from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for achieving 1 million hours with zero lost-time accidents.
A member company of the Iowa Biodiesel Board, Western Dubuque Biodiesel’s general manager, Tom Brooks, made the announcement at the company’s annual meeting in September. The Iowa Biodiesel Board offered its congratulations to the company.
“We congratulate the entire team at Western Dubuque Biodiesel on this outstanding achievement,” said Grant Kimberley, IBB executive director. “As a small facility with 30 employees, the plant had to run for 12 years accident-free to achieve this million-hour designation—no small feat in the manufacturing industry.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Opened in 2006, the Farley, Iowa, biodiesel production plant can produce 30 MMgy. OSHA regularly recognizes companies that achieve safety standards.
“This award is a credit to the great team we have in Farley,” Brooks said. “Our entire organization understands the importance of creating a safe work environment so everyone can go home to their families safe every night. We built our facility with safety foremost in our minds, and we have redundancy in our procedures to ensure it. We have buddy systems, weekly safety reviews and annual safety training, among other best-practice procedures.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Biodiesel itself is nontoxic, biodegradable and has the highest flash point of any liquid fuel, which means it takes more heat to ignite than other fuels, like petroleum. Brooks noted that while biodiesel is the safest fuel to use, handle and store, working with fuel production components can be dangerous, so safety must take top priority.
Western Dubuque Biodiesel earned its BQ-9000 certification in 2007, which includes a safety component in addition to quality assurance recognition.
Biodiesel is an advanced biofuel made from agricultural byproducts and coproducts, such as soybean oil. The Iowa Biodiesel Board is a state trade association representing the biodiesel industry.
Marathon Petroleum Corp. on Aug. 5 released second quarter financial results, reporting improved EBITDA for its renewable diesel segment. The company primarily attributed the improvement to increased utilization and higher margins.
Chevron Corp. on Aug. 1 confirmed the company started production at the Geismar renewable diesel plant in Louisiana during the second quarter after completing work to expand plant capacity from 7,000 to 22,000 barrels per day.
The public comment period on the U.S. EPA’s proposed rule to set 2027 and 2027 RFS RVOs and revise RFS regulations closed Aug. 8. Biofuel groups have largely expressed support for the proposal but also outlined several ways to improve the rulemaking.
In celebration of World Biodiesel Day, MOL Group on Aug. 8 announced SAF was successfully produced for the first time at INA’s Rijeka Refinery during a pilot project to process biocomponent. Renewable diesel was also produced.
Iowa farmers have a new market opportunity for their 2025 soybean crop. Landus is expanding its Clean Fuel Regulation initiative, made possible by recent policy changes expected to increase Canada's demand for liquid biofuel.