Talk about burning fat!
Energy, food giants to produce renewable diesel fuel
Sacramento Business Journal - 3:42 PM PDT Monday, April 16, 2007
by Houston Business Journal
ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods Inc. have formed a strategic alliance to produce and market renewable diesel fuel.
The alliance plans to use beef, pork and poultry fat to create a transportation fuel.
The companies said they have been collaborating over the past year on ways to combine the expertise of Springdale, Ark.-based meat producer Tyson and Houston-based energy company ConocoPhillips to introduce a renewable diesel fuel in the United States.
Tyson (NYSE: TSN) will make capital improvements this summer in order to begin pre-processing animal fat from some of its North American rendering facilities later in the year. ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) also will begin the necessary capital expenditures to enable it to produce the fuel in several of its refineries.
The finished product will be renewable diesel fuel mixtures that meet all federal standards for ultra-low-sulfur diesel. Production is expected to ramp up gradually to as much as 175 million gallons a year of renewable diesel fuel.
The processing technology was developed at ConocoPhillips' Whitegate Refinery in Cork, Ireland. ConocoPhillips began commercial production of renewable diesel using soybean oil in Ireland late last year.
