In 2012, we performed design-build construction, and installed two new 500,000-gallon biodiesel storage tanks and one new 145,000-gallon refined oil storage tank. These massive steel tanks were welded together on-site and set with steel ring foundations and a sand foundation. We prime-painted the exterior and wrapped each tank with two inches of fiberglass insulation and aluminum skin. We installed interconnecting supply and discharge lines, two pumps, pipe rack structures, two side-entry mixers and the necessary electrical, instrumentation and controls. The tanks were constructed in a “tank farm” within a containment berm, which allowed for all rainwater surrounding the tanks to be collected and tested before it was permitted to leave the containment area.

We returned the same year for a second project to complete the expansion. This one included the design-build construction of one 500,000-gallon biodiesel storage tank built to the same specifications as the first two. Another tank was also converted from biodiesel to glycerin, and we installed a new rail load-out arm and two new wastewater load-out arms at the loading platform. This project also included several additions to the building, including new recirculating piping, a new addition to the Filter Building, and the addition of a structural steel mezzanine inside the existing facility.

We completed both projects on time and within budget, without any shutdown of operations. The new facility increased biodiesel production from 30 million gallons to over 45 million.