Four ways distilled biodiesel could give you a competitive advantage.
By Jon Scharingson
I’m going to talk about distilled biodiesel, but I promise you don’t have to worry about this being like the high school science class that always put you to sleep.
If you want more information about the science behind distillation and how the process differs from traditional biodiesel purification, stick around for the end of this blog post, where I link to a white paper that goes into those details.
I bet you’re more interested in learning about the advantages distilled biodiesel has to offer you as a fuel retailer. Because, in the end, what you probably care about most is how this type of fuel can benefit your bottom line and your customers. So without further ado, here are the top four reasons distilled biodiesel can give you a leg up on the competition.
What are the benefits of distillation?
- Superior cold weather performance
Distilled biodiesel has advanced cold flow properties because distillation does a superior job of removing minor components that can contribute to filter plugging. Far too often we hear from people who believe Cloud Point is the only thing that matters when using biodiesel in the cold. Even with a higher Cloud Point, distilled biodiesel can outperform undistilled low cloud biodiesel in cold weather.
- Feedstock flexibility
The minor components that can affect the quality of biodiesel depend in part on the feedstock. Because distillation does such a good job removing minor components, the producer has more freedom with feedstocks. We call this feedstock flexibility. Another benefit of this is that it allows for more nimbleness in the commodity markets, especially when facing price and supply fluctuations. If a certain feedstock is in short supply or the price isn’t right, REG can use another feedstock and still produce a high-quality fuel that exceeds ASTM and customer specs.
- Lower carbon intensity scores
Distilled biodiesel made from inedible feedstocks has a lower carbon intensity (CI) score than undistilled biodiesel made from vegetable oils. But inedible feedstocks tend to have higher Cloud Point. With Cloud Point being less of an issue in a distilled product, you can get a fuel with lower CI that also performs well in cold weather. That’s especially important in regions with air quality standards, like California, Oregon and some Canadian provinces, as well as with the growing number of fleets that have sustainability goals.
- Purity and blending ability
Distilled biodiesel is the purest type of biodiesel. This helps it blend more easily with petroleum diesel, because there are fewer minor components to hinder blending.
Learn more about distillation in this free white paper. For more information about REG, visit regi.com.
Jon Scharingson oversees the sales and marketing efforts for Renewable Energy Group, Inc., a leading biodiesel producer.