Operations ramp up following $100 million expansion.
CountryMark, a farmer-owned cooperative based in Indianapolis, IN, in September began coprocessing at its newly upgraded Mount Vernon, IN refinery. Coprocessed renewable diesel is fuel produced by combining renewable feedstocks, like soybean oil, with conventional diesel.
According to President and CEO Matt Smorch, “This approach, which we have taken, will allow CountryMark to produce renewable fuel, reduce the carbon intensity of our fuel and do so in the most cost-effective manner possible by utilizing existing refining assets and expertise.”
In July, the company completed a $100 million diesel expansion project, which included the addition of a new reactor, catalysts, and soybean oil offloading rack and storage.
As a result of these investments, the company says it will have the potential to use up to 20 million gallons of refined, bleached, and deodorized soybean oil per year.
CountryMark broke ground on the project in the fall of 2024 following several years of engineering development. Milestones included the delivery of a new reactor in February 2025, successful turnaround and startup in June, and initial technology validation in July. Expansion of the crude unit will took place in August to increase diesel fuel production, and coprocessing began in September.
Refinery Details
Located in southwestern Indiana, the Mount Vernon refinery processes 35,000 barrels of crude oil per day. With the addition of Topsoe’s HydroFlex® technology, CountryMark aims to produce up to 250,000 barrels of renewable diesel annually.
The new unit is expected to enable an annual emission avoidance of approximately 84,500 tons of CO2e – the equivalent of eliminating emissions from more than 186,000 commercial trucking roundtrips between Indianapolis and Washington D.C.
“Our collaboration with CountryMark goes back many years,” says Henrik Rasmussen, managing director, Topsoe Americas.
“With demand for renewable diesel continuing to grow,” he adds, “we’re excited to partner with CountryMark on their journey to produce cleaner fuels and contribute to America’s low-carbon energy future.”