The renewable synthetic diesel to be produced at the facility, RenDiesel, meets all applicable fuels standards, is compatible with existing engines and pipelines and burns cleanly, with emissions of particulates and other regulated pollutants significantly lower than the emissions from the combustion of CARB ultra-low sulfur diesel.
The carbon footprint of the plant is designed to be near zero as the fuels and power would be produced only from renewable feedstocks.
Rentech has entered into a licensing agreement with SilvaGas Corporation for biomass gasification technology for the Rialto facility.
Announcing plans for the plant, D. Hunt Ramsbottom, president and chief executive officer of Rentech, said, “The Rialto facility places Rentech at the forefront of the next generation bio-energy industry. The renewable energy conversion technology package we have secured for synthetic drop-in fuels production is ready for commercialization. Previous generation technologies for bio-fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol used valuable feedstocks that compete with food to produce fuels of varying quality. This plant will be able to transform low-value waste streams into high-value green power and pure synthetic fuels that can be used in today’s engines and distribution infrastructure.”
Rentech has engaged Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. to conduct the feasibility engineering phase of the project, which is expected to be completed over the next several months.
Rentech has an exclusive option on a site for the Rialto Project within the proposed Rialto Eco-Industrial Park, which is located adjacent to an existing City of Rialto Wastewater Treatment Plant and EnerTech Environmental Regional Bio-Solids Processing Facility. The location allows the proposed Rialto facility to take advantage of established infrastructure including access to water, wastewater disposal and zoning.
The primary feedstock for the Rialto Project will be urban woody green waste such as yard clippings, for which Rentech is currently negotiating supply agreements. The location of the project will provide local green waste haulers with a cost-effective alternative to increasingly scarce landfills for the disposal of woody green waste. The plant is designed to also use bio-solids for a portion of the feedstock which is expected to be provided under a supply agreement with EnerTech Environmental.
Construction of the Rialto facility is expected to create approximately 250 jobs with at least 55 permanent jobs during operation, based on the preliminary design work completed to date.
Doug Miller, executive vice president of Renewable Energy Businesses for Rentech, stated, “Our technology portfolio allows us the feedstock flexibility to produce clean synthetic fuels from biomass, or to use fossil resources in the cleanest ways, supporting the spectrum of the Obama Administration’s initiatives for domestic energy production.” Mr. Miller added, “We expect the Rialto Project to be the prototype for many waste-to-fuels projects for Rentech. These projects are being designed at smaller scale than fossil-based projects, and feedstock costs are low or negative, resulting in significant potential returns on investment.”
