HERO BX 

With a vision to help revitalize Erie’s rich manufacturing heritage, Samuel Pat Black III founded HERO BX in 2005. It was his ideology to build a company that would create meaningful jobs, spur technological innovation, and produce eco-friendly products.

Today HERO BX serves millions of consumers throughout the Midwest and Northeast corridor. HERO BX operates production facilities in Clinton, Iowa; Erie, Pennsylvania; Moundville, Alabama; South Roxana, Illinois; and a Bioheat® fuel blending terminal in North Hampton, New Hampshire. With annual refining capacity at over 130 million gallons, HERO BX is one of the largest biodiesel producers in the United States.

Innovation

The company says HERO BX manufacturing plants are supported by innovative technical staff and ultra-modern laboratories, equipped to test and certify that HERO BX biodiesel meets strict quality standards. HERO BX is an accredited BQ 9000 Producer, a quality system program designed to promote the commercial success and public acceptance of biodiesel and to assure that biodiesel fuel is produced to maintain and exceed the industry standard, ASTM D6751. 

In 2018, HERO BX opened a Research and Development Lab at Penn State University. The laboratory advances the company’s efforts to diversify and develop biodiesel products for new markets, while utilizing the skills of Penn State Behrend students in industry-driven research. One of the first initiatives is to realize a way to reduce the sulfur content of raw materials, or feedstocks, used in biodiesel production to diminish the fuel’s pollutants even further. Subsequent studies will focus on increasing the efficiency of biodiesel in cold temperature applications such as the airline industry.