Consumer demand for biodiesel fuel grows in 2015

The Environmental Protection Agency released data on record numbers of biodiesel use in time for the 2016 Biodiesel Conference and Expo. 

The EPA said American consumers used nearly 2.1 billion gallons of biodiesel in 2015, reducing America’s carbon emissions by at least 18.2 million metric tons.

“We’re seeing it take hold across the country. Consumers are seeking out cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels and they see biodiesel as a high-performing, cost-competitive alternative to petroleum diesel,” Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board, said. “These numbers also show without question that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is delivering significant volumes of Advanced Biofuel to the American people. They prove that the RFS is absolutely working.”

Biodiesel is the United States’ only EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel on the commercial market, so Americans looking to use cleaner fuel use biodiesel. It is still a young industry, but it is clearly rising in popularity in America.

Biodiesel is comprised of a mix of resources like recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats, making it renewable, clean-burning replacement for diesel engines. The numbers reported by the EPA are made up mostly of biodiesel but also include renewable diesel, a similar diesel alternative that uses a different production technology.