As demand for renewable fuels continues to increase worldwide, U.S. manufacturers are making significant investments in technology, plant upgrades and new facilities to capitalize on the projected growth and ramp-up production.
PSC Group (PSC), a leading provider of product handling, site logistics and sustainability services, is contributing to this effort to bring more renewable fuels to market by providing critical operations support at three renewable diesel refineries, with a fourth operation scheduled to come online this spring.
Renewable diesel is made sustainably by using recycled animal fats from restaurants and supermarkets, as well as inedible corn and soybean oil. These waste materials are converted into diesel fuel with less impact on the environment, providing a cleaner alternative to regular diesel.
"We started up our first renewable diesel operation 10 years ago in Norco, Louisiana," said Josh Dixon, PSC's VP of operations and business development. "Last year we began working at two more renewable diesel refineries in Port Arthur, Texas, and Artesia, New Mexico, and we're in the process of starting up another operation in Chalmette, Louisiana," said Dixon.
Today, PSC has approximately 150 employees dedicated to renewable fuel operations. "Our decades of experience handling traditional petroleum and petrochemical products transfers seamlessly into supporting our customers' renewable fuel operations," said Justin Aucoin, senior manager of business development for PSC.
PSC's operational support includes unloading feedstocks, then loading finished renewable fuels as well as inbound/outbound inspections and rail switching activities. At the Artesia refinery where PSC works, employees handle all the site logistics and are also responsible for operating the pre-treatment unit (PTU), including the lab and wastewater treatment.
"We offer extensive experience handling a variety of biomass feedstocks, including soybeans, methane, tallow, fats, used cooking oil and other waste streams. We also perform bleaching earth, filter aid, PTU filtration and vacuum truck operations," said Aucoin.
In addition to renewable diesel production, PSC provides support for production of other biofuels including ammonia, biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, renewable methanol and renewable natural gas. The company recently joined the Clean Fuels Alliance America, a trade association dedicated to supporting the growth of sustainable biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.
"We are proud of our role working alongside our customers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a more sustainable future. By partnering with PSC, our customers are able to focus their time and energy on their core competencies of renewable fuels manufacturing and production, while we focus on what we do best - logistics and product handling," added Dixon.
For more information about PSC Group's services, visit pscgroup.com or call (225) 343-8262 ext. 244.
