C-stores benefit from adding biodiesel blends — from price advantages to attracting environmentally conscious customers.
By Troy Shoen, Renewable Energy Group
You have likely heard of biodiesel. Maybe you’ve considered selling the renewable fuel at your convenience store. However, adding a new fuel is a big change, and a lot of factors go into the decision.
Knowing what you’re talking about is a good way to get started. That’s why Renewable Energy Group has put together a dictionary to clarify the basic terms used in the biodiesel industry. Once you know that terminology, you can more effectively evaluate whether you want to sell the fuel at your location.
Here are 18 terms that will explain the fuel, production process, blends, specifications and emissions:
The Fuels
Understanding biodiesel starts with learning about what it is and how it differs from other types of fuels.
Biodiesel: A cleaner-burning alternative to petroleum diesel that is made from renewable resources, including used cooking oil, waste animal fats and vegetable oils.
Renewable diesel: From a straight chemical perspective, renewable diesel is very similar to petroleum diesel but with much lower emissions. Compared to biodiesel, renewable diesel is made from the same feedstocks but has a different production process and meets a different specification.
Advanced biofuel: These are fuels made from advanced feedstocks like vegetable oil and recycled cooking oil that reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 50% or more compared to petroleum diesel. Biodiesel and renewable diesel are advanced biofuels.
The Production Process
While the production process for creating biodiesel may seem complex, these terms explain the basics to give you a foundation of what happens.
Feedstock: The raw material used to create fuel. For biodiesel and renewable diesel, these are renewable resources such as used cooking oil, vegetable oils and waste animal fats.
Transesterification: By reacting feedstock with an alcohol, usually methanol, manufacturers use the chemical process of transesterification to create biodiesel.
Fatty acid methyl esters: Often referred to as FAME, this is the chemical name for biodiesel. Each FAME molecule is made up of both a fatty acid and an alcohol.
Distillation: The process of purifying a liquid using evaporation. Distillation is one of the ways biodiesel is purified. Distilled biodiesel has several benefits, including superior cold weather performance compared with undistilled biodiesel.
Feedstock flexibility: Only the most skilled producers can produce high-quality biodiesel from a variety of feedstocks, referred to as feedstock flexibility. This method captures each feedstock’s best properties, creates more predictable pricing and produces a more environmentally friendly fuel.
The Blends
Biodiesel is usually blended with petroleum diesel. These terms explain the types of blends and how to determine the percentage of biodiesel in each fuel.
B5, B10, B20: A fuel that is a blend of biodiesel and petroleum diesel is commonly abbreviated to a “B” and then the percentage of biodiesel in that fuel. For example, B20 is 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel.
Neat biodiesel: Biodiesel that has not been blended with another fuel. It is 100% biodiesel (or B100).
The Specifications
Different fuels have different specifications. By knowing the following terms, you can better understand a fuel’s quality and properties.
ASTM: This organization sets international standards for a variety of materials. The specification for biodiesel is ASTM D6751. Renewable diesel falls under ASTM D975, the diesel specification.
Cloud Point: This is the temperature at which wax crystals cause fuel to appear cloudy, which is one measure of cold weather performance. The higher the Cloud Point, the sooner the fuel gels.
Cetane number: This is a measure of a fuel’s combustion speed and a common indicator of quality. The higher the Cetane number, the shorter the ignition time. Biodiesel and renewable diesel have a higher Cetane than petroleum diesel.
Lubricity: The ability of a fuel to reduce friction and prevent wear in an engine. Ultra-low sulfur diesel has very little lubricity, whereas biodiesel has great lubricating characteristics.
The Emissions
Reduced emissions are perhaps the biggest differences between biodiesel and petroleum diesel. Here are some terms related to emissions to help you understand how the fuels you sell can help the environment — biodiesel reduces all of these emissions compared to petroleum diesel.
Greenhouse gases: These gases, which include carbon dioxide, trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.
Carbon monoxide: An odorless, colorless, poisonous gas that forms by the burning of fossil fuels. In some cities, up to 95% of all carbon monoxide emissions come from motor vehicles.
Hydrocarbons: Organic pollutants resulting from incomplete combustion of fuel. In the presence of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sunlight, unburned hydrocarbons create ground-level ozone, which harms lungs and creates urban smog.
Particulate matter: Particulates, including solids and liquid droplets, from engine exhaust that harms the climate and human health. Fine particles can penetrate deep into a person’s lungs and even enter the bloodstream.
Furthering Your Knowledge
Many convenience stores see considerable benefits by adding biodiesel blends, including price advantages and attracting environmentally conscious customers to both their fuel pumps and inside their stores. Now that you know the key terms related to biodiesel, feel free to reach out to learn more.
Troy Shoen is senior manager, marketing, at REG, a biodiesel and renewable diesel producer. He can be reached at [email protected].