HERO BX invests $1M in Penn State biofuels lab

In Pennsylvania, a $1 million investment by HERO BX, an Erie-based biodiesel company, will create research opportunities for students and faculty members in the School of Science at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Much of the work will be conducted in a new, 1,500-square-foot chemistry lab the company developed in the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Center in Knowledge Park.

Students will work with HERO BX chemists and other researchers to reduce the sulfur in biodiesel feedstocks, which are processed for reuse as transportation fuels and heating oil. HERO BX produces more than 50 million gallons of biodiesel every year. Subsequent studies will focus on increasing the efficiency of biodiesel in cold-temperature applications, including commercial aviation.

HERO BX operates production and distribution facilities in Erie, Alabama and New Hampshire and is the largest producer of biodiesel in the eastern United States. The company will staff the Knowledge Park lab with a full-time manager. Post-doctoral researchers also could work there. Penn State Behrend undergraduates will contribute to research as interns beginning this summer.