LOS ANGELES - Renewable Energy Group, headquartered in Ames, Iowa, is acquiring Tellurian Biodiesel Inc., a California-based biodiesel company and marketer, and American BDF LLC (ABDF). 

ABDF is a joint venture owned by Golden State Service Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of Golden State Foods of Irvine, Calif.; Restaurant Technologies Inc. (RTI) of Eagan, Minn.; and Tellurian Biodiesel. ABDF was previously focused on building a national array of small biodiesel plants that would convert used cooking oil into sustainable biodiesel. 

The acquisition connects RTI's national used cooking oil collection system with REG's national network of commercial-scale biodiesel manufacturing facilities. 

"Turning used cooking oil into biodiesel at REG's network of manufacturing facilities is another good outlet for our customers' waste products to power a simple, green and safe solution for fueling our nation's progress toward clean energy goals," said RTI CEO Jeff Kiesel. 

"Just by gaining access to this nationwide system of used cooking oil collection depots, REG has the potential, over time, to replace more than a half million barrels of imported crude oil with sustainable, domestically produced biodiesel," said Dave Elsenbast, REG vice president of supply chain management. 

Used cooking oil will augment REG's current national, multi-feedstock procurement program that supplies the company's commercial-scale biodiesel facilities. The REG network has a combined annual production capacity of more than 200 million gallons.