The partnership that runs Smithfield Foods' BEST BioFuel division is gearing up to convert swine manure to biomethanol, a renewable component of biodiesel and a possible solution for a nagging environmental problem for the food industry.
Beef tallow, animal fat and other sources of oil typically are mixed with methanol to create biodiesel, and methanol typically is derived from natural gas. Another option is biomethanol, and the first commercial plant to generate biomethanol begins commercial production early this year near Milford, Utah. The $20 million project is operated by BEST Biofuel LLC, an investment group formed a year ago and now a consolidated subsidiary of Smithfield Foods Inc. The plant will process manure from 23 Smithfield-owned pig farms to produce 25 tons a day of liquid biomethanol while returning treated water for washdown at the farms.