Biodiesel Spurs Two Agreements

Two pairs of companies have signed agreements intended to increase the availability and stability of biodiesel fuels. In the first, Süd-Chemie will manufacture catalyst for biodiesel firm Benefuel. Developed at India's National Chemical Laboratory, the solid catalyst turns low-grade vegetable oils and animal fats into fatty acid methyl esters, Benefuel says. The first commercial plant to use the technology, a 10 million-gal-per-year unit, is under construction in Seymour, Ind. Separately, specialty chemicals maker Innospec has signed a three-year agreement to provide biodiesel supplier World Energy Alternatives with its Biostable line of additives, which are designed to protect the fuel against oxidation and acid-induced degradation.