Tapping the 'Fat of the Land' for Biodiesel

"Without a doubt, biodiesel is among the future solutions for sustainable transportation."

Claude Bourgault, Qużbec General Manager for Rothsay

Ville Sainte-Catherine - June 15, 2004 [SolarAccess.com] Thanks in part to the findings of the recent BIOBUS project launched in Montreal in 2002, Canadian company Rothsay said they are now firmly committed to producing biodiesel in large-quantity. The company announced their commitment to dedicate nearly CAD$14.5 million (US$10.5 million) in the coming months to expand biodiesel production at its Ville Sainte-Catherine plant on the South Shore of Montreal.

Rothsay said the 100% private investment will strengthen the company's position among the leading biodiesel producers in Canada. Work on the expansion will begin this summer and be completed next spring.

Rothsay specializes in recycling agro industry residues (animal fat and recycled cooking oil), the main raw materials for producing biodiesel. With this recent investment Rothsay plans to create over a dozen positions for specialists (chemists) and maintain some 60 other jobs, not counting indirect employment. It will also boost its present biodiesel production capacity of 4 million liters to 35 million liters annually, with a possible further expansion to 70 million liters.

Rothsay's Ville Sainte-Catherine site is home to Canada's first plant for the commercial production of biodiesel.

"We are convinced that biodiesel is a winning solution, both economically and environmentally," said Claude Bourgault, Qużbec General Manager for Rothsay. "Biodiesel is a high-performance, easy-to-use fuel that tangibly and significantly reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) and other polluting emissions. Biodiesel has proven its worth and provides Quebec with a unique opportunity to develop a very high-potential 'green' industry."

Qużbec has an abundant supply of fats, according to Rothsay. It is estimated that all of the biodiesel produced in Qużbec could come from existing sources of fat with no pressure on farmland or threat to the environment.

"Without a doubt, biodiesel is among the future solutions for sustainable transportation. It also provides an industry hard-hit in recent years (mad cow disease) with a unique opportunity for intelligent recycling by capitalizing on wastes that are plentiful in Qużbec. And its an economically viable solution," Bourgault said.

 

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