Newsletter Archive

Biodiesel is exhibiting steady growth as a clean alternative to petroleum diesel fuel.

The new biodiesel industry is small but growing quickly. Following steady growth in popularity over the last 4 years, biodiesel sales in 2001 were over 75 times greater than biodiesel sales in 1998.¹

Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel that is both biodegradable and non-toxic, which makes it safe for the environment. It can be made from many oils and fats such as soy, canola, tallow, mustard, and leftover restaurant greases.

Neat biodiesel, which is 100 percent pure biodiesel, can be used wherever diesel fuel is used during warm weather conditions. However, when the weather turns cold, biodiesel will thicken and special systems are required for its use.

Biodiesel can also be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression ignition (diesel) engines with no major modifications. Biodiesel fuel blends can offer superior lubricity, which reduces the long-term wear and tear on an engine and makes its parts last longer.

Who is Using Biodiesel?

Fleets across the country are moving to biodiesel because it can be used without modifying engines, displaces an imported petroleum product, and produces less air pollution than petroleum diesel. It even offers better aromas than diesel fuel, often smelling like French fries, doughnuts, or barbecue. More than 150 fleets currently use biodiesel in either pure form or in blends such as B20, a blend of 20 percent by volume biodiesel with 80 percent by volume petroleum diesel.²

Use of biodiesel has also improved due to support from major companies such as John Deere, which approved the use of soy-based biodiesel blends in its diesel-powered products.³ For 2001, estimates of sales of biodiesel range from 15 million to 20 million gallons. ⁴ By 2011, biodiesel sales are projected to be around 350 million gallons per year.⁵

Where Can I Find Biodiesel?

New distributors and new public retail stations with biodiesel pumps are responding to the growing demand for biodiesel. Currently, biodiesel is available at retail stations in several states. In May 2002, two new stations opened: one in Chelsea, Massachusetts,⁶ and another at a marina in Ventura, California.⁷ For more information about where to find biodiesel or whether it is suitable for you, go to the National Biodiesel Board (www.biodiesel.org) and the U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center (www.afdc.doe.gov) Web sites.

Biodiesel is registered as a fuel and fuel additive with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and meets clean diesel standards established by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Neat (100 percent) biodiesel has been designated as an alternative fuel by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). 8

¹ K. Shaine Tyson (Project Manager, Renewable Diesel Project, National Renewable Energy Laboratory), personal communications, 25 June 2002.
² "Biodiesel Revs Up," Chemical & Engineering News, 27 May 2002, available at: http://pubs.acs.org
³ John Deere, "John Deere Approves Eco-Friendly Biodiesel Fuel for its Products," 21 February 2002, available at: http://www.johndeere.com
⁴ K. Shaine Tyson
⁵ Chemical & Engineering News.
⁶ "Chelsea Firms Drive Diesel Plan," The Boston Globe, 26 May 2002, available at: http://www.boston.com
⁷ "Southern California Harbor Makes Biodiesel Available to Mariners," National Biodiesel Board, 2 May 20002, available at: http://www.biodiesel.org
⁸ "Commonly Asked Questions," National Biodiesel Board, Accessed 21 June 2002, available at: http://www.biodiesel.org

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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is improving its environment and energy security by utilizing local biomass resources. Currently, five percent (2.1 million MWh) of electricity generated in Massachusetts comes from biomass sources, including wood waste and landfill gas.¹ Electricity generators in Massachusetts that utilize biomass as a part of their fuel source have the capacity to produce 322 MW.² The use of alternative fuels, including biodiesel, has also been a tool in Massachusetts' strategy to improve its environment. Some efforts to expand the reach of biodiesel fuel and other biomass resources in Massachusetts include:

• World Energy Alternatives, headquartered in Chelsea, Massachusetts, is the nation's largest provider of biodiesel and has a network of six production facilities nationwide. World Energy has built strategic alliances with Gulf Oil, Ocean Air Environmental, and Procter & Gamble. World Energy clients include the U.S. military, the Manhattan Post Office, and municipalities in 17 states. World Energy produces its biodiesel from a variety of resources including soybeans, rapeseed oil, waste oil from landfills, and recycled grease.³
• Massachusetts has opened its first retail biodiesel pump, which is among the first twenty-five retail biodiesel locations in the United States. Located at the Dennis K. Burke, Inc. filling station, 410 Beacham Street in Chelsea, the biodiesel pump is open to the public and accessible to all diesel-driven vehicles, including cars, trucks, buses, and construction equipment. ⁴
• Students in the environmental program at Lesley University in Cambridge have been learning how to make biodiesel fuel and how using alternative fuels can benefit the environment. The environmental program, in conjunction with the Audubon Expedition Institute, takes its students around the United States by bus to learn about environmental issues facing different regions in the country. Lesley-Audubon school buses are run on biodiesel fuel. Lesley University has also received a grant to purchase the equipment for producing biodiesel, which students in the environmental program will use to produce biodiesel fuel.⁵
• To encourage businesses, universities, and citizens to promote the development and use of renewable energy resources, Massachusetts offers tax incentives to those who install, sell, and use renewable energy systems in homes, businesses, and plants.⁶ Massachusetts companies such as Altus Biologics, Inc., BC International Corporation, Biofine, Inc., Catamount Pellet Fuel, Environmental Futures, Inc., Imagex Technologies, Inc., and Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. are also participating in biomass research and development sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.⁷

¹ Nora Goldstein and Celeste Madtes, "The State of Garbage in America," BioCycle: The Journal of Composting & Organics Recycling, November 2000, http://www.biocycle.net
² Renewable Electric Plant Information System Database, http://www.eren.doe.gov
³ World Energy Alternatives Web site, http://www.worldenergy.net
"UMass-Amherst Fills up with Biodiesel." Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology, http://www.masshightech.com/
Erik Baard, "A Fuel that Starts Low on the Food Chain," New York Times, May 12, 2002, http://www.worldenergy.net
⁴ "Massachusetts' First Biodiesal Retail Pump Opens," http://www.biodiesel.org
⁵ "Biodiesel is Fuel for Thought for Lesley University Students," http://www.lesley.edu
⁶ Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources Web site, http://www.state.ma.us
⁷ U.S. Department of Energy, The Office of the Biomass Program, Biomass Research and Development Initiative Web site, http://www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov

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Soy-based Polymers Rolled into Carpet
The Dow Chemical Company has joined with Universal Textile Technologies, a major carpet-backing supplier, to launch BIOBALANCE^TM polymers for use in the carpet industry. BIOBALANCE^TM polymers are manufactured by using a soy-based polyol, Soyoyl^TM, to replace a percentage of the petroleum-based polyeurathane backing systems that have been the long-standing choice for carpet makers. Soyoyl, developed with funding from the United Soybean Board, can also be used in a variety of plastics applications such as automotive interiors, mattresses, and shoe soles. The United Soybean Board has identified the carpet industry as a good opportunity to market soybeans. The product provides the carpet industry with a renewable resource alternative that will help the nation reach its environmental goals. www.unitedsoybean.org

Shell Makes the Switch from MTBE to Ethanol
Shell Oil Products US announced its intent to discontinue using MTBE in the gasoline it supplies to California and switch to ethanol by the end of 2002. Governor Gray Davis has banned the use of MTBE in California beginning December 31, 2003, in an effort to protect California's air and water supply. Shell will beat the official deadline by one year, and it joins BP, California's other major gasoline supplier, in its commitment to also be MTBE-free by the end of this year. Shell currently accounts for approximately 18 percent of gasoline supplied to California, and this switch will create a market for an estimated 150 to 200 million gallons of ethanol. www.ethanolRFA.org

Biodiesel-Electric Hybrid Vehicle Takes First Place in Tour de Sol
Two students from the University of Wisconsin took first place with their hybrid electric-diesel vehicle in the prototype division of the 13th Annual Tour de Sol, a 300-mile contest for "advanced" vehicles. Their vehicle, named Aluminum Cow, ran on a 50% biodiesel blend. The students chose biodiesel over other alternative fuels due to its net greenhouse gas effects. The Tour de Sol is unique among international automotive events due to its emphasis on "green-ness." www.cglg.org

University of Massachusetts Fills Up with Biodiesel
At least 35 trucks owned by the University of Massachusetts - Amherst are running on a 12 percent biodiesel fuel mixture. The school's grounds management staff have been using the biodiesel mixture since December and have found that it not only makes the trucks run well but also cleans the engines. The University chose biodiesel for its fuel efficiency and because it produces 27 percent less particulate emissions than ordinary fuel. The University feels a responsibility to educate its twenty-three thousand students on the importance of clean technology.

Missouri Bans MTBE
On June 24, Missouri Governor Bob Holden signed Bill 1348 into law. The bill bans the use of MTBE as of July 2005. Missouri now joins 15 other states that have banned MTBE. These states are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, and Washington. Currently, Missouri has one reformulated gasoline program in the St. Louis area that uses MTBE and some ethanol. (Source: Renewable Fuels Association).

Call for Papers: Journal of Industrial Ecology
The Journal of Industrial Ecology, an international peer-reviewed journal owned by Yale University and published by MIT Press, is soliciting papers for a special issue on the sustainability of bio-based materials. http://mitpress.mit.edu

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Data Sources:
OxyFuel News: Ethanol (U.S. Avg: Terminal); MTBE (Houston, TX: spot); Gasoline (Gulf Coast: spot, regular grade)
USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service, "Agricultural Prices," "Grain Stocks"

Data Sources:
U.S. DOE-Energy Information Administration, "Petroleum Supply Monthly"
USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service, "Agricultural Prices," "Grain Stocks"

*Please note: Units used for fuel data have been revised to correct an error in previous editions.

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