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A recycling company is poised to break ground on Wisconsin's first biodiesel plant. Green Bay-based Anamax Corp. plans to start construction Monday on the 12,300-square-foot plant next to its existing restaurant-grease recovery plant in DeForest. DeForest village president Jeff Miller said the project could cost from $10 million to $15 million and create 10 to 15 jobs. The plant is expected to produce about 20 million gallons of biodiesel annually, according to the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. "It's a big deal," Miller said. "We'll be the first community in Wisconsin to have a biodiesel facility." Biodiesel is an alternative fuel that can be made from vegetable oils or recycled cooking oil. It burns cleaner than traditional diesel, can run most diesel-fueled engines and help reduce dependence on foreign oil, according to the National Biodiesel Board. More than 85 percent of biodiesel comes from soybeans, according to the national board. State agriculture department spokesman Gary Radloff said the plant's presence could boost demand for Wisconsin soybeans. Dane County is the second-leading soybean producer in the state, Radloff said. Rock County directly to the south is first. "They're really close to a lot of growers," Radloff said. Miller said he's not sure how heavily the plant will rely on soybeans. Cole Buergi, a Green Bay-based public relations specialist handling media inquiries for Anamax, declined to comment on the plant, saying he didn't want an early news story to deter people from attending the groundbreaking. "It's a little unknown what it might do," said Lodi soybean farmer Keith Ripp, president of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. "They'll probably purchase whatever is cheapest out there." Nationally, biodiesel blends are sold at 450 retail pumps. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |