Biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with ...

is commercially available in most

oilseed Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fat ...

-producing states in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. As of 2005, it is more expensive than

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

-diesel, though it is still commonly produced in relatively small quantities (in comparison to petroleum products and

ethanol fuel Ethanol fuel is ethyl alcohol, the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, used as fuel. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline. The first production car running entirely on ethanol was the ...

). The total U.S. production capacity for biodiesel reached in 2007, although poor market conditions held 2007 production to about , according to the

National Biodiesel Board Clean Fuels Alliance America (CFAA), formerly known as the National Biodiesel Board, is an American commercial trade association representing the biodiesel industry as the unifying and coordinating body for research and development in the United ...

(NBB). In 2004, almost of commercially produced biodiesel were sold in the U.S., up from less than in 1998. U.S. biodiesel production hit an all-time high in 2015, its second record-breaking year in a row. EPA statistics show production of 1.813 billion gallons in 2015, up from the previous record of 1.74 billion gallons in 2014.

Feedstock development

A pilot project in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, Alaska, is producing fish oil biodiesel from the local fish processing industry in conjunction with the

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for cla ...

. It is rarely economic to ship the

fish oil Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oils contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors of certain eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation in the body a ...

elsewhere and Alaskan communities are heavily dependent on

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

power generation. The Alaskan Energy Authority factories project of fish oil annually. A doctoral student at

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

has initiated a program called FreeWays to Fuel, which is growing oilseed crops in previously unused municipal land such as highway rights of way. The student, Dallas Hanks, estimates that in the U.S., of such unused land exists—land which generally serves no other purpose and currently costs tax dollars to maintain. Early yields from the crops are promising, and the program has spread to other land-grant universities across the nation.

Production

Imperium Renewables Imperium Renewables, Inc. was a renewable energy company based in Seattle, Washington. It is the parent company for Seattle Biodiesel and Imperium Hawaii in Oahu. The company was founded in 2004 by John Plaza. The company experienced financial hard ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

has the largest biodiesel production facility in the US, capable of making . In 2006,

Fuel Bio Fuel Bio One, LLC, is commercial producer of Biodiesel at its facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth, NJ. Biodiesel is a renewable, clean burning diesel replacement. It is made from a diverse mix of naturally occurring oils and fats. Refere ...

Opened the largest

biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with ...

manufacturing plant on the east coast of the United States in

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

's operation is capable of producing a name plate capacity of of biodiesel. In 2008,

ASTM ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, an ...

published new Biodiesel Blend Specifications. In 2019, HollyFrontier announced plans to build a biodiesel plant in Artesia, NM. The facility is planned to have a capacity of 125 million gallons per year.

Commercialization

In 2005, U.S. entertainer

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

was selling B20 Biodiesel in four states under the name

BioWillie Willie Nelson Biodiesel is an American company started by singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, that produces biofuel under the brand name BioWillie. Nelson became interested in biofuels in 2004 after his wife bought a diesel car, which she fueled onl ...

. By late 2005 it was available at 13 gas stations and

truck stop A truck stop, known as a service station in the United Kingdom, and a travel center by major chains in the United States, is a commercial facility which provides refueling, rest (parking), and often ready-made food and other services to motori ...

s (mainly in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

). Most purchasers were truck drivers. It was also used to fuel the buses and trucks for Mr. Nelson's tours as well as his personal automobiles. On October 16, 2006, the city of

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

announced an agreement with local

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

's biodiesel R & D program to use the biodiesel research to build a production system at the city

wastewater treatment plant Wastewater treatment is a process used to remove contaminants from wastewater and convert it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environmen ...

, and convert the city bus system to run entirely off of the fuel. Its use of "

trap grease A grease trap (also known as grease interceptor, grease recovery device, grease capsule and grease converter) is a plumbing device (a type of trap) designed to intercept most greases and solids before they enter a wastewater disposal system. Co ...

" from the waste tanks of restaurants around the city may be the first of its kind in the US.

Incentives

Tax credits

As of 2003, some

tax credit A tax credit is a tax incentive which allows certain taxpayers to subtract the amount of the credit they have accrued from the total they owe the state. It may also be a credit granted in recognition of taxes already paid or a form of state "disc ...

s were available in the U.S. for using biodiesel.

By state

Biodiesel retailers can be found in all states but

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, though all may not offer high percentage blends or B100.

Minnesota

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed a bill on May 12, 2008, that will require all diesel fuel sold in the state for use in internal compression engines to contain at least 20%

by May 1, 2015. In March 2002, the

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

State Legislature passed a bill which mandated that all diesel sold in the state must contain at least 2% biodiesel. The requirement took effect on June 30, 2005, and was the first biodiesel mandate in the US.

Washington State

In March 2006,

became the second state to pass a 2% biodiesel mandate, with a start-date set for December 1, 2008.

Notes

External links

Towards Sustainable Production and Use of Resources: Assessing Biofuels

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

, October 2009
World Bank, Biofuels: The Promise and the Risks. World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for Development

National Biodiesel Conference

Barack Obama Kicks Off Official Campaign with Biodiesel Plant Tour
*https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hollyfrontier-restructuring/hollyfrontier-to-build-biodiesel-plant-buy-back-1-billion-in-shares-idUSKBN1XS1E4 {{DEFAULTSORT:Biodiesel In The United States Biodiesel Biofuel in the United States Transportation in the United States