A farmer-director with the Iowa Soybean Association says biodiesel demand has been increasing.
“Nine years ago, we were trying to beg people to use our product,” said Dave Walton, a soybean farmer from eastern Iowa.
Walton says different parts of the transportation sector have been utilizing higher blends of biodiesel.
“All the way from Class I railroads that are coming to us and saying, ‘hey we’ve got sustainability goals we’re trying to achieve and want to buy biodiesel to help get to those sustainability goals.’ We’re seeing trucking companies do the same thing, especially privately owned fleets like Pepsi Co.”
He tells Brownfield in some cases, trucking companies are seeking the ability to operate their fleets on B99 Biodiesel.
“In the past that hasn’t been possible because of the equipment,” Walton said. “Now we have companies like Optimus Technologies that are making a bolt-on that you can put on virtually any semi to be able to run B99 year-round without any other modification.”
Walton says fuel retailer Pilot Travel Centers recently opened Iowa’s first B99 pump at its Urbandale location, marking a major milestone for clean fuels innovation.
