Sustainability Blog Archives - Biodiesel Sustainability Blog

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World Water Day: How Biodiesel Makes Minimal Waves in the World’s Water Supply

Posted on March 22nd, 2018

“Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.” This often-quoted phrase from the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner reminds us that the earth is rich in water resources. However, this water is not immediately useful for most consumer needs. It takes energy to provide clean water in a useful form. That’s why use of renewable fuels such as biodiesel is so important to secure our future access to clean water.

2018 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo – Complete Official Blog Highlights

Posted on January 29th, 2018

View complete highlights from the official blog of the 2018 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo. Producers, marketers, and aficionados returned to the Fort Worth Convention Center for four days (January 22 – 25) of all things biodiesel.

An Insider’s View on the Value of Federal Research

Posted on July 14th, 2017

A Guest Post from Mike Haas, Retired, ARS-USDA Not long after receiving my doctorate in biochemistry I took a research position with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the main research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Prior to retiring in 2014 I had spent my entire career, 33 years, with ARS. I had a chance to see federal research from within the system. Among the key aspects of that system were the following, which I believe pertain to federal

Biodiesel Complements the Food Supply

Posted on February 28th, 2017

When we grow protein to feed the world, we get more fat than we can eat. Biodiesel is made from used cooking oil, animal fats, and a growing diversity of waste greases and vegetable oils, like soybean oil. The US has a large supply of these excess fats and oils as a byproduct of food production. Using these excess fats and oils reduces the cost of protein for the food supply.

Carbon 101 and Biofuels

Posted on August 26th, 2016

Here are some basics you need to understand about combatting climate change. You don’t need a PhD or to be of any particular political persuasion to comprehend this. These are the fundamentals to master if you want to engage in debate or effectively find solutions to global warming.

Biodiesel Feedstocks: Diverse, Growing, and Potentially Abundant

Posted on April 8th, 2016

Biodiesel can be an elegant way to store solar energy for transportation uses. Biodiesel is nontoxic, biodegradable, reduces emissions, and creates local jobs. With multiple benefits stemming from every gallon of biodiesel used to displace fossil fuels, the big question is: What is the appropriate and achievable rate of growth for this young industry?

(Bio)Fueling The Economy

Posted on October 16th, 2015

Advances in technical research and market development are propelling agriculture in new directions. Through agricultural science, crop varieties and yields continue to improve to produce sufficient nutritious food for a growing and increasingly affluent global population. In the course of satisfying global demand for protein, agriculture has been oversupplying carbohydrates, fat, and fiber which are coproducts of protein production. This surplus gave rise to the development of biofuels, which in turn improve the economics of the food supply. Developing markets for excess fat, fiber, and carbohydrates reduces the cost of protein production from conventional crops.

Biodiesel Does Not Compete with Food

Posted on February 24th, 2015

Half of the biodiesel produced in the US is made from soybean oil. The other half is produced substantially from animal fats, used cooking oil, and other recycled or waste oils. It is easy to see how using wastes and byproducts to make biodiesel is a good thing, but some people have trouble understanding that using soybean oil works the exact same way. Biodiesel uses excess oil that we don’t use in our food supply.