Ames-based Renewable Energy Group Inc. (REG) today announced that it has a scalable commercialization technology that will enable it to refine and produce large volumes of high-quality algae biodiesel.

REG has produced algae biodiesel at the pilot scale level and will now implement new refining technology that will allow it to produce algae biodiesel at commercial volumes. REG hopes to secure multiple feedstock and algae oil partnerships that will enable it to produce at increasing levels.

REG said that with the new technology and increased partnerships, it would be able to produce algae biodiesel in quantities comparable to other forms of vegetable and animal feedstocks now in use, said Daniel Oh, chief operating officer, in a press release.

“Commercial demonstration of algae biodiesel at this level is a major step forward for the industry,” Oh said. “By defining the processing parameters for larger volumes of algae oil, we can process algae oil using REG’s commercial scale production technology like any other feedstock out there today.”

Algae oil is cleaned and refined using pretreatment technology, and is then converted into biodiesel using a system similar to current commercial-scale biodiesel production. REG’s algae biodiesel exceed ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 quality specifications.