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Writer's pictureRon Kotrba

BP to finance Greasezilla expansion for greater access to brown-grease feedstock

Photo: Greasezilla

Downey Ridge Environmental Co. (Greasezilla) announced Oct. 1 that it has signed an agreement with BP that will enable the capture and extraction of brown-grease waste as a feedstock for biofuel production.

 


As part of the agreement, BP will finance the expansion of Greasezilla’s production facilities—up to 40 new fats, oils and grease (FOG) receiving stations with up to $5 million per site—to support the delivery of brown-grease feedstock to the market, aimed at furthering the renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) markets.

 


Greasezilla’s technology extracts nearly pure brown grease from grease-trap waste and refines it into biofuel feedstock.

 


“This can play a pivotal role in the future development of a nationwide platform to manage fats, oils and grease (FOG), waste material derived from commercial kitchens and commodity processing that has typically been incinerated or landfilled until now,” Greasezilla stated, adding that brown grease poses a costly challenge for many cities nationwide, as its disposal is both expensive and complex.

 


Inside a wastewater stream, grease-trap waste congeals and collects inside municipal and industrial sanitary collection and treatment system infrastructure.

 


With growing populations and stagnant or shrinking budgets, many municipal public-works departments and wastewater treatment plants can’t keep up with FOG-related cleaning and maintenance, according to Greasezilla.

 


Grease-trap waste is most commonly disposed of in landfills, according to the company, where it releases methane into the air.

 


Combined with rainwater, it seeps down over buried wastes, leaching or drawing out their chemicals and toxic constituents.

 


This leachate can contaminate surrounding soils and aquifers.

 


From a solid-waste perspective, Greasezilla said its innovative process mitigates the environmental impact of grease-trap waste disposal.

 


This diversion also helps alleviate landfill overcapacity and cost problems.

 


According to a 2023 report from the Environmental Research and Education Foundation, costs from overcapacity helped bump up U.S. landfill tipping fees in 2022 from 2 percent in the Southeast to 29 percent in the South-Central region.

 


Greasezilla said through this new partnership, it will benefit from BP’s global network, enabling wider biofuel distribution, while BP expands its access to lower-carbon feedstock to help meet growing SAF demand.

 


BP’s initial investment will support the scaling of Greasezilla’s operations and integration into BP’s supply chain.

 


Any subsequent phases, according to Greasezilla, would be expected to focus on expanding production capacity and further developing the technology to maximize efficiency and environmental benefits.

 


“Bioenergy is one of BP’s transition growth engines and we aim to increase our production of biofuels like SAF,” said Nigel Dunn, an executive with BP. “Working with Greasezilla and their innovative technology helps provide the low-carbon feedstock for processing in our refineries and meets the biofuels needs our customers increasingly want.”

 


Greasezilla President Ron Crosier added, “We’ve sought an ally in energy who shares our commitment to the environment and our vision for developing Greasezilla. BP’s vision aligns with ours, and we couldn’t be more pleased.”

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