| ISA Home Yield Challenge SoyCam B11 Info PodtoPlate |
 |
About Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a clean-burning, alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources like soybeans, some non-food crops and sources such as used restaurant grease. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a fuel blend for use in diesel engines with little or no modifications.
Most major engine companies in Illinois use B11 because of favorable tax implications, however blends up to B20 are also acceptable. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) estimates actual biodiesel consumption from October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007, was 450 million gallons. Worldwide, less than five percent of the world's soybeans are used for U.S. biodiesel production, leaving ample supplies for soybean's myriad other uses, including human food and animal feed.
In Illinois, several biodiesel manufacturers and retailers market the fuel to farms, fleets, cities, companies and consumers. Biodiesel helps engine parts move better and last longer, so trucking companies and others can save money on repair costs with its use.
Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have successfully completed the health effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. Biodiesel completed EPA-required Tier I and Tier II testing, and conclusively demonstrated biodiesel's significant reduction of virtually all regulated emissions. Biodiesel does not pose a threat to human health.
A U.S. Department of Energy study showed that biodiesel production and use, compared to petroleum diesel, results in a 78.5 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, for every unit of energy needed to produce a gallon of biodiesel, 3.24 units of energy are gained. The American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) approved a specification (D6751) for biodiesel fuel as well, which is standardizing U.S. quality.
Soybean growers benefit from the expanding biodiesel market. Analysis published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicates that every 50 million gallons of biodiesel raises soybean prices one percent. Using the USDA 2006 Long-Term Baseline forecast for soybean prices as a starting point, soybean growers can expect increased biodiesel demand to raise the average soybean price 58 cents per bushel by 2015.
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
