Continental Refining expands business to include soybean meal, hulls

Continental Refining Co. began processing biodiesel from contracted soybean oil earlier this year, but now the co-located soybean-processing facility is up and running. (Photo: Continental Refining Co.)

Somerset, Kentucky-based fuel refiner and distributor Continental Refining Co. announced March 29 an expansion of its product line to include soybean meal and hulls.

This marks a significant milestone in the company’s growth and showcases its dedication to delivering high-quality products and excellent customer service.

Continental Refining is fully operational in its soybean-processing facility, with the ability to process 330 tons of soybeans into 250 tons of high-protein soybean meal daily and the potential to expand production to over 500 tons per day.

The product is widely recognized as an essential animal-feed supplement and is commonly used in pet food due to its exceptional nutritional value.

Continental Refining’s soybean-crushing process also yields soybean hulls, which are a valuable feed ingredient for livestock and poultry.

These products are extracted from the outer layer of soybeans during the crushing process, enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of Continental Refining’s production methods.

“We are steadfast in our pursuit to expand our product line with these superior soybean byproducts,” said Demetrios Haseotes, CEO of Continental Refining. “We have no doubt that our customers in the central Kentucky region will appreciate the accessibility of locally produced, premium feed ingredients.”

The purchasers of soybean meal and hulls include livestock producers, poultry producers, pet food manufacturers and feed mills.

The market size for soybean meal and hulls in the central Kentucky region is estimated to be approximately 250,000 tons per year, with demand spread throughout the regions of Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana.

In 2017, the last year for which final statistical data has been compiled, domestic animal agriculture in Kentucky consumed 652,200 tons of soybean meal, according to the Kentucky Soybean Board, making it the largest source of soybean-meal demand in the state and placing Kentucky as the 17th largest consumer of soybean meal in the nation.

Animal agriculture in Kentucky also consumed 21,228 tons of soy hulls.

Soybean meal loading into a truck (Photo: Continental Refining Co.)

The expansion of the soybean meal and hulls product line enables the plant to process almost 4 million bushels of soybeans per year (84,000 tons) into vegetable oil and soybean meal and hulls for livestock and poultry feed.

Additionally, the company’s biodiesel-refining division is expected to generate up to 5 million gallons per year.

Continental Refining operates a 77-acre ag and petroleum industrial complex that processes raw soybeans and other feedstocks to create a range of feed products, such as the high-quality mechanically extruded soybean meal and crude degummed soybean oil.

Continental Refining produces soybean oil that meets the highest standards of quality and purity before it is fed into its biodiesel plant where pure biodiesel and its UltraBurn diesel blends are processed.

Continental Refining’s UltraBurn F20 is blended with 20 percent Continental Refining-produced biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel. Special additives are added to the blend to increase lifespan and performance of the fuel.

“We are pleased to continue serving our valued customers with these exciting new products, while contributing to the local economy,” Haseotes said. “We remain dedicated to expanding our long-established reputation as a reliable supplier and distributor of fuel products.”