On its quest to develop negative carbon footprint projects, Strategic Biofuels claims to have successfully completed a carbon capture and storage test at its diesel fuel plant in Louisiana.
The test pilot has completed at the company’s Louisiana Green Fuels Project in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana — the first renewable diesel fuel project to achieve such a feat, according to the company.
“Carbon capture and permanent geologic sequestration is no longer a hypothetical scenario for Louisiana Green Fuels — successful completion of the test well is a major milestone that’s not been achieved by any other renewable diesel project,” Strategic Biofuels CEO Dr. Paul Schubert said in a statement. “These results enable us to move forward knowing that combining CCS with conversion of sustainable forestry waste to renewable diesel at our project site will enable us to achieve our deeply negative carbon footprint goal.”
Once in full operation, the plant is expected to convert forestry waste feedstock into 33.7 million gallons per year of “cleaner-burning renewable diesel.”
The company said Strategic Biofuels COO Bob Meredith worked with Geostock Sandia on the project and used oil field workers and traditional oilfield equipment.
The project now moves into an engineering and design phase to better understand long-term costs, apply for regulatory permits, and secure third-party contracts. The plant is expected to reach full commercial operation in late 2025.
“It’s easy to get excited about what the success of this sequestration test well means to the economic development for Caldwell Parish and the State of Louisiana, but we still have a lot of work to do entering an aggressive capital raise,” Meredith said. “What we have been able to accomplish could very well be a blueprint for the renewable energy industry that is working to address our country’s carbon footprint far into the future.”
