By Troy Shoen, Renewable Energy Group
As I blogged about earlier this summer, the fuel landscape is changing for retailers. Gasoline consumption is declining, but demand for diesel is strong.
Another shift is the growing sustainability trend and its effect on transportation. Fleets and individual drivers are looking for cleaner solutions, and federal, state and local governments are demanding it with various policies.
That’s why, as CSD reported in March, alternative fuels are expanding their footprint. Two fuels in particular have emerged among retailers (and fleets) as popular options: biodiesel and renewable diesel.
The next step in this evolution is blending biodiesel and renewable diesel together, a product my company has branded REG Ultra Clean Diesel. The blended fuel takes advantage of the benefits of both biodiesel and renewable diesel:
- Biodieselis a competitively priced product with a proven track record of providing strong performance while reducing emissions and petroleum consumption.
- Renewable diesel also has excellent environmental and performance benefits while falling under the same ASTM spec as petroleum diesel.
Blending biodiesel and renewable diesel with each other — instead of only with petroleum diesel — results in a product that features the best characteristics of the two fuels. REG Ultra Clean Diesel:
- Significantly lowers fleets’ emissions and carbon footprints
- Provides excellent Cetane, lubricity, Cloud Point and aromatics
- Allows companies to stretch their supply of renewable diesel
- Is easy to blend, store and handle
The early reviews have been very positive. Here’s what a California truck stop operator has to say: “We realize a greater margin on the fuel than petroleum diesel. It also helps us extend our renewable diesel supply.”
You can read that and other first-hand accounts as well as learn more about the fuel and its benefits in this free white paper.
Troy Shoen is senior manager, marketing, at REG, a leading biodiesel and renewable diesel producer. He can be reached at [email protected].