A five year-old alternative fuel plant in northern Illinois is preparing for a major expansion. Today Patriot Renewable Fuels in Annawan broke ground for a bio-diesel production facility.
Patriot began making ethanol from corn five years ago and since then has been selling the corn oil bi-product to other bio-diesel producers. General Manager Rick Vondra says the new facility will be able to produce up to five million gallons of bio-diesel a year. Construction should take between nine and ten months.
The patriot plant in Henry County now processes 40 million bushells of corn a year with most of that purchased from area farmers.