Renewable Energy Group Inc. (REG) of Ames and its parent company, West Central Cooperative of Ralston, are two of the partners in a biodiesel industry collaboration that has received additional military funding for power-generation research.
The three-year project entitled the “Battlefield Clutter—Waste to Energy” project sponsored by the U.S. Army, is designed to study the potential for military waste plastics to be dissolved in biodiesel, then burned in electrical generators at military bases at home and abroad.
The project received an additional $1.65 million appropriation to continue its research. Representative Tom Latham (R-Iowa 4th District), Representative Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa 3rd District), Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) worked with the collaboration during the grant submission and approval processes.
“We greatly appreciate the work of our congressmen and senators to move this project forward as we develop new uses for biodiesel and help reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil,” said REG chief executive office Jeff Stroburg of Jefferson. “The results of this study could have profound impact on the logistics and supply chain for our military. REG is proud to be a part of helping offer our military’s brave men and women a renewable source of fuel for their electrical power source while reducing waste and protecting the environment.”
Partners in the collaboration, in addition to REG and West Central, are lead contractor General Atomics of San Diego, CA, which specializes in diversified research, development and manufacturing in energy, defense and other advanced technologies, and Iowa State University’s chemistry and mechanical engineering departments.
Rep. Latham, at the announcement of the appropriation at REG headquarters in Ames, said, “Iowa has already established itself as a champion of renewable energy production. With initiatives such as this, we will continue to lead and teach the world of the countless potential for renewable energy resources that are planet-friendly. Increasing the viability of biodiesel for use by our military will both increase our energy independence and enhance our national security. I am proud to have helped secure federal resources to advance this research.”
