Feedstock Flexibility. The key to delivering reliable biodiesel

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1 Feedstock Flexibility The key to delivering reliable biodiesel

2 Quick quiz: What do these feedstocks have in common? Reveal answer Previous Page Next Page

3 Quick quiz: What do these feedstocks have in common? CANOLA OIL SOYBEAN OIL INEDIBLE CORN OIL BEEF TALLOW POULTRY FAT PALM OIL ALGAE OIL USED COOKING OIL CHOICE WHITE GREASE Answer: They can all be made into the same high-quality biodiesel. That s right. All these feedstocks can be used to The ability to use different feedstocks to create high- create the same reliable biodiesel product. quality biodiesel that meets customer specifications Many people believe soybean oil is the best. After all, it is a great feedstock and has been the most common raw material in biodiesel production. But the truth is, is known as feedstock flexibility. It s something only skilled producers can do, and it has lots of benefits. Let s take a look at a few of them. there is no single feedstock that is the best. Previous Page Next Page

4 The top three benefits of feedstock flexibility It allows for more predictable pricing and availability. It lets you capture the best properties of different feedstocks. It helps you achieve a lower carbon intensity. Feedstock flexibility frees a producer from some of the instability of commodity markets, which provides economic and supply chain advantages to customers. When the price rises on a certain feedstock, a multi-feedstock refinery can switch to an alternative and not negatively affect the finished biodiesel. Same thing if there are supply issues. Think of it as a secret recipe. High-tech producers can combine the fatty acids from various feedstocks, like ingredients in a recipe, to create a fuel with the properties its customers want. That s a big deal in states like California, where the low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) requires the reduction of the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. 1 This can be acheived through the increased use of inedible feedstocks to produce biodiesel. But its appeal isn t limited to the West Coast. Sustainability is a growing trend among corporations, local governments and the general public. 1 California Air Resources Board

5 OK, so how does feedstock flexibility work? For a skilled biodiesel producer, feedstock doesn t matter much when it comes to the quality of the end product. Biodiesel can be made by converting several kinds of vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled cooking oil into fatty acid methyl esters through a chemical process called transesterification. What s left after this chemical reaction is basically just a mixture of methyl esters, making the original feedstock not particularly relevant to the quality of the end product. Science agrees biodiesel is not completely dependent on feedstock. Biodiesel is a legally registered fuel and fuel additive with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That registration requires all biodiesel to meet the ASTM D6751 specification. This specification makes no mention of feedstock, indicating their agreement that feedstock should not impact biodiesel quality. Click below to watch a brief video explaining how biodiesel is made. Biodiesel 101: It s important to know the basic science behind biodiesel production in order to understand why feedstock does not determine the quality of biodiesel. Here s a glossary of a few key terms: Transesterification A chemical process in which feedstock is reacted with methanol to make biodiesel. Fatty acid methyl esters The chemical name for biodiesel. An ester is a chemical compound usually formed by the reaction between a fatty acid and an alcohol. Cloud point The temperature at which wax crystals cause fuel to appear cloudy. The higher the cloud point, the sooner the fuel starts to gel. Cloud point is commonly used to determine cold-flow properties, but it is not the only specification to consider. Cetane number A measure of the combustion speed of diesel fuel. The higher the cetane number, the shorter the ignition time. The cetane number is a common indicator of a fuel s quality. Distillation The process of purifying a liquid using evaporation and condensation.

6 Purification: The key to a complete refining process. Many would argue that when it comes to cloud point and cetane number, feedstock does matter. Animal fats tend to have higher cloud points and cetane numbers, whereas plant oils, like soybean oil, are typically lower Source Feedstock Pretreatment Transesterification Finishing This is where some in the fuel industry start to point to the alleged superiority of soybean oil as a biodiesel feedstock. But it s also where a multi-feedstock approach becomes a difference-maker. How? Let s look at the refining process of Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (REG) as an example. The company has the expertise to blend different feedstocks together, yet achieve the same product specifications. REG uses specific fatty acids from different feedstocks to create a finished fuel with the desired attributes. A rigorous, proprietary pretreatment process to purify the feedstocks. The product is further cleaned by removing anything that isn t a fatty acid methyl ester through the transesterification process. Continued refining of the biodiesel by purifying the methyl esters even further. Notice how often the product is purified. This is a major reason the biodiesel is of high quality, no matter the feedstock. The idea that you need to have soybean oil to produce a low cloud point biodiesel is not correct. We can make a cloud point exactly identical to soy with the same fatty acid profile from a variety of different feedstocks. Dave Slade, Executive Director, Biofuel Technology and Services

7 A closer look at the pretreatment process. The pretreatment process is critical to a multifeedstock approach. It allows REG to source lowercost feedstocks that may have higher contaminants. REG refines them to a very clean and pure material before actual biodiesel production begins. If REG did not undertake this pretreatment, either the quality of its biodiesel would suffer or it would have to buy feedstocks that have already been refined, which would increase costs. BQ-9000 Biodiesel Many in the biodiesel industry go a step further than ASTM specs by participating in the BQ-9000 quality assurance program. This voluntary program combines ASTM standards with a quality-systems program that includes storage, sampling, testing, blending, shipping, distribution and fuel management practices. REG uses one or two tanks to remove impurities in the feedstock through chemical or physical refinement, or both. Once the feedstock is at the point of being a refined fat or oil, biodiesel production can begin.

8 Cold weather protection: An extra step for added value. Biodiesel has been proven to be effective in cold weather. It s used in cars and trucks year-round across the world. Bus systems running on biodiesel blends get their passengers where they need to go in the heart of winter. It was used to power generators in the first cold-weather Super Bowl in New York. Although cloud point gets a lot of attention, fuel buyers are starting to understand it should not always be the top consideration. For example, a higher cetane number, which goes hand in hand with cloud point, could lead to better performance. There s also the lower carbon intensity (CI) scores of nonedible feedstocks. Places like California, with its low-carbon fuel standard, need low CI fuels. With the growing sustainability movement, lower CI fuels also appeal to a fleet manager in Illinois, for instance, who wants a fuel that helps it meet his sustainability goals. Cold filtration process Some biodiesel producers also incorporate a cold filtration process to purify their fuel. Minor components known to cause filter plugging issues are removed, which results in a finished biodiesel that performs better in cold weather compared with biodiesel that has not gone through this process. Distillation for improved cold weather performance Some producers are now making distilled biodiesel, which also has improved cold-weather qualities. Distillation takes the methyl ester molecules and removes all other minor components. Biodiesel resulting from distillation is the purest form of biodiesel. It offers better blending with petroleum diesel and has advanced cold-flow properties. Even with a higher cloud point, distilled biodiesel can outperform undistilled low cloud biodiesel in cold weather because of the removal of minor components. It also has lower carbon intensity compared with soybean biodiesel.

9 Proven results: How feedstock flexibility helps create positive customer experiences. Just Fuel Inc., a heating oil company in the New York City metro area, has experienced the advantages of feedstock flexibility firsthand. The company blends biodiesel into traditional heating oil, and owner Fred Catapano views REG as a business partner. They always have product, he says. Their prices are good. I have no complaints. There is never such a thing as a no from them. Farmers Win Cooperative, doing business in Iowa and Minnesota, shares a similar message. The longtime REG customer offers several different biodiesel blends for delivery and at retail locations. Steve Neuendorf, the co-op s petroleum division manager, praises REG for the quality of its fuel, its prices and its ability to meet the co-op s demand. We have continued doing business with REG over the years because of the good service and the competitive pricing they offer, he says. Also, REG has done a good job of offering supply at multiple locations.

10 The final word: How feedstock flexibility benefits everybody. Let s review. Feedstock flexibility means a biodiesel producer can use different feedstocks to create the same reliable end product. Feedstock flexibility has many benefits, including: 1 It allows for more predictable pricing and availability. 2 3 It allows a producer to capture the best properties of different feedstocks. It helps you achieve a lower carbon intensity score with nonedible feedstocks. Ultimately, feedstock flexibility is meant to benefit you. If you have any questions about REG products, please call (844) Regardless of what happens with the commodity markets, either in price or in quantity, we re going to be able to make the quantities and quality of biodiesel that we ve promised our customers. Dave Slade, Executive Director, Biofuel Technology and Services Want more industry insights from REG? Patrick.McCormick@regi.com to sign up for the Off the Rack newsletter Renewable Energy Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. BQ-9000 is a licensed trademark of the National Biodiesel Board, used with permission.