“Farm to Fuel” Grants Program Winners
Gulf Coast Energy of Walton, LLC
Project Title: Tandem Biodiesel and Ethanol Production Facility
Proposer: Gulf Coast Energy of Walton, LLC, of Walton County
Contact Person: Drayton Pruitt, (205) 651-9627
Project Location: Mossy Head, Florida
Grant Funds Awarded: $7,000,000
Cost Share: $55,000,000
Project Description:
This is a $62 million project to build and operate a tandem biodiesel and ethanol production facility. Construction on Phase 1 will begin in the next few months at the Northwest Florida Commerce Park. Actual production of biodiesel is expected by the end of this year and of ethanol in early 2009. The ethanol will be produced using cellulosic materials such as wood waste, and the biodiesel with a blend of chicken fat and soybean oil. The two processes will work well together in that the ethanol process generates methanol which is required in biodiesel production, and the biodiesel process generates glycerin which can be used along with the woody material for ethanol production. In addition, the project’s technology recycles 100% of the carbon dioxide resulting in a state of the art environmental performance while reducing the U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
