Earl Fisher Biodiesel
This biodiesel plant located in Chester began operations in 2006 and has facilities for both seed crushing and biodiesel manufacturing. Their current facilities are capable of crushing 40,000 gallons of oil and producing 250,000 gallons of biodiesel per year. Expansion plans are to expand capacity to produce up to 1 million gallons of biodiesel per year. Current production uses camellia and canola seed for feed stock and the product is marketed locally. In July of 2010, Earl Fisher began supplying biodiesel to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. (BNSF) at the Havre Depot. The fuel is being tested at the MSU-Northern Bio-Energy Center with one switch train running on a B20 blend (20% biodiesel) and another engine running on regular diesel. Earl Fisher expects to supply BNSF with 24,000 gallons of biodiesel over the one-year study.
Sustainable Oils
Governor Schweitzer along with Senators Baucus and Tester, joined with Targeted Growth, Inc. (TGI), a renewable energy bioscience company, and Green Earth Fuels, a vertically integrated renewable biodiesel energy company, to announce the formation of a joint venture called Sustainable Oils, Inc. The new venture is capable of producing up to 100 million gallons of camelina-based biodiesel, launching the single largest U.S. contract for the unique biodiesel-specific feedstock. Nearly all of the initial camelina produced for this project is expected to be grown in Montana. In 2009 and 2010, Sustainable Oils supplied the US Air Force with 100,000 gallons of camelina-based jet fuel. In March 2010, Sustainable Oils moved into an expanded facility to meet their growing demand and increase their research capabilities.
MSU-Northern Bio-Energy Center
This biofuels lab was opened in 2008 and is a state of the art facility located on the MSU-Northern campus in Havre. It tests organic fuel and lubricants to certify that they meet American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The lab can also test fuel additives to measure their impact on fuel quality and engine performance. Northern will test samples from farmers and post test results on a Web site. The lab has continued to expand and now includes a biodiesel pilot plant, allowing the center to create biodiesel on an industrial scale for large scale testing. In July 2010, the Bio-Energy Center began working with BNSF and local biodiesel producer Earl Fisher Biofuels to test biodiesel in BNSF locomotive engines. The center will measuring emissions and look at engine performance in the adverse weather conditions of northern Montana comparing a B20 blend of biodiesel relative to standard diesel over a year.
Algae Aqua-Culture Technology (AACT)
Algae Aquaculture Technologies of Whitefish recently received a $350,000 grant from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to build a commercial algae processing plant that will convert waste wood chips to energy and organic fertilizer. The process uses a greenhouse based algae growth system and an anaerobic biodigester to transform a blend of wood waste and algae into high-value methane for power generation, as well as significant amounts of organic fertilizer. The greenhouse will be built on the grounds of F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. in a joint venture of the two companies.
Peaks & Prairies
This plant located in Malta began operations in 2005 and currently produces biolubricants made from canola and camelina seed.
Montana Advanced Biofuels
Permits have been filed with DEQ for a 126 million gallon per year wheat and barley ethanol plant to be located in Great Falls. The company is currently reviewing technology providers, and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors. In addition, the developers have begun to secure financing including city/county funds, DOE loan guarantee, other federal programs, and private financing. The project passed Phase I for the DOE Guaranteed Loan program and submitted their Phase II application in December 2010.
Montana Microbial Products
Montana Microbial Products (MMP) is commercializing a process using barley to produce fuel ethanol and a high-value protein concentrate. The barley protein concentrate (BPC) is a fundamental breakthrough in one of the most difficult issues facing the aquaculture industry – developing a cost effective plant protein to replace fish meal, the primary protein ingredient for farmed fish. MMP worked with Dr. Rick Barrows of the USDA/Agriculture Research Service “Trout Grains Project” to establish BPC value as a protein ingredient in feeds for farmed trout and salmon. MMP had crucial grant support for the project from the Montana Department of Commerce, Board of Research and Commercialization and from the Montana Department of Agriculture Growth Through Agriculture Program.
University of Montana Western- Dillon
In February of 2007, UM Western completed construction on their $1.4 million biomass boiler that replaced a natural gas boiler on the campus in Dillon. The project consumes approximately 3,800 tons of wood per year and saved UMW $147,000 while reducing CO2 emissions by 50% over a 7 month period in 2007-2008.
University of Montana Biomass Boiler
The University of Montana has plans to construct a $16 million wood-fired biomass boiler which would become the largest industrial-sized biomass gasification operation in the state and reduce the campus’ natural gas consumption by 70%. The University of Montana has received an $180,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the US Forest Service for the project. Most of the project is to be funded by qualified energy conservation bonds, a low-interest financing opportunity provided though the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The project is expected to burn 20,000 tons of slash, coarse and fine woody debris generated during logging, and beetle-killed trees per year. Estimates are that the project would pay for itself in cost savings in 15-17 years.
