Four grants from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture will expand biofuel access and production to advance renewable energy efforts around the state, according to a press release.

The MDA’s agricultural growth, research and innovation program recently awarded grants totaling more than $500,000 to four recipients through two separate competitive review processes.

Renewable Energy Group in Albert Lea was awarded a biofuel blending infrastructure grant for $113,050 to install and upgrade tanks and dispensers at fueling locations and a conversion system to fleet vehicles that will allow them to operate on B100 fuel.

The AGRI bioenergy/biochemical pilot project grant provides funding that would advance a bioenergy or biochemical production technology beyond the bench scale/proof-of-concept scale toward commercial scale, through construction and operation of a pilot plant.

The AGRI biofuel blending infrastructure grant provides funding for biofuel blending infrastructure equipment to promote economic growth and environmentally friendly practices in Minnesota’s biofuel industries.

More information about the AGRI bioenergy/biochemical pilot project grant and AGRI biofuel blending infrastructure grant is available on the MDA website.