BioMaxx Systems Inc. Will Build Biodiesel Demonstration Plant in Asia

BioMaxx Systems, a Canadian biotechnology consulting company, is crossing the Pacific to put the final touches on a design for a biodiesel demonstration plant in South Asia. BioMaxx hopes to plop the plant down in either Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand, and BioMaxx wants the site to be located close to feedstocks and have "geographic access to major markets such as China or Japan." Exactly which feedstock the plant will use was not announced. BioMaxx did say that the, "plant will be designed to process a variety of feedstocks such as Algae, Jatropha, Mustard Seed, Palm Oil, Rapeseed, Soy Oils, Tallow, Waste Vegetable Oils and Yellow greases. The demonstration facility will allow our technical team to demonstrate and develop proprietary production techniques and will demonstrate Biodiesel production rates utilizing the alternative feedstocks for optimal outputs and volumes." You can read the company's statement here.
Let's just remember a few recent posts on those three countries. Thailand can't grow all of the palm oil it need to make biodiesel. In Indonesia, a lot of clearcutting is taking place and Malaysian exports of palm oil to the U.S. increased by 65 percent last year as consumers turned away from trans-fats as Palm oil production and prices soar on back of biodiesel. Considering that the, "demonstration plant will assist BioMaxx in the development of a product line of small scale bio-diesel production plants to be marketed in Asia. The small scale plants will be customizable to the specific feedstocks as dictated by our client requirements," and I'm guessing those clients will, at least in the near term, want to use palm oil, this might open the door to more problems than it solves. To say the least, the politics and environmental impact of palm oil biodiesel production is complicated.

[Source: BioMaxx]