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What is biodiesel?
Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel made from renewable resources such as soybean oil and animal fats, which are abundant in Arkansas. Important facts about biodiesel include:
Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended with regular diesel at various levels and burns much cleaner than petroleum diesel.
Biodiesel is nontoxic and biodegradable, and its manufacture produces no harmful or unwanted byproducts.
Biodiesel is a legal motor fuel that is made to specific quality standards and can be used in existing diesel engines with little or no modifications.
Why use biodiesel?
While there are many benefits to using biodiesel, there are four primary reasons.
Biodiesel supports the local economy.
Supporting the local economy is a top priority for Arkansas SoyEnergy Group, and producing biodiesel is a great way to do that. We make our biodiesel from animal fats and from soybeans grown within 50 miles of our plant. We are committed to providing local farmers a new market for their soybean crop while also offering a valuable energy source. Soybeans, which are a preferred feedstock for biodiesel, are grown in 50 of Arkansas’s 75 counties, meaning that biodiesel production could have direct benefits all across our state.
Biodiesel performs as well as diesel and can extend engine life.
Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine with little or no modification, and most major engine companies have stated that the use of blends up to 20 percent biodiesel will not void their parts and workmanship warranties. Biodiesel has been shown to have similar fuel consumption, horsepower, torque, and haulage rates as conventional diesel. Biodiesel has the added benefit of better lubrication, thus reducing engine wear. Slight modifications may include checking fuel filters more frequently at first because biodiesel has a solvent effect that can clean out tank and engine deposits that have accumulated from petroleum fuel usage. The benefits of biodiesel have been demonstrated repeatedly by the thousands of trucking companies, school bus fleets and public transportation agencies that have adopted biodiesel as their fuel of choice.
Biodiesel is better for the environment.
Biodiesel is an environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum. It is made from renewable feedstocks such as oil from soybeans, canola seed, animal fats, and similar sources. The use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in a substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from diesel fuel. In addition, the exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from biodiesel are essentially eliminated compared to diesel. Biodiesel is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar.
Biodiesel reduces dependence on foreign oil.
The U.S. consumes around 20 million barrels of oil a day (or 840 million gallons), more than half of which is imported from foreign countries. Demand is only expected to increase. Every gallon of biodiesel made and used in the U.S. offsets the need to import petroleum, thereby reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil.
The following websites provide more important information about biodiesel:
National Biodiesel Board
United States Department of Agriculture
Environmental Protection Agency
The BQ-9000 Quality Management Program
BioTrucker
The National Biodiesel Foundation |
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Arkansas SoyEnergy Group, LLC P.O. Box 700 2780 Highway 165 South DeWitt, Arkansas 72042 870-946-1551 ● Phone 870-946-3608 ● Fax |
