USB Releases Peer-Reviewed Study on Biodiesel
Results document sustainability, conservation and environment validating benefits over conventional fuel.
Compiled by staff
Published: Feb 4, 2010
A peer-reviewed study adds a major volume to the library of research backing the environmental and energy benefits of biodiesel, further validating biodiesel's benefits over conventional fuel. This first national survey showed biodiesel producers use 27% less energy than previously estimated. The results also document that biodiesel producers are implementing more water-saving technologies and selling more glycerin, a byproduct, into high-grade markets.
Biodiesel can be made sustainably from a wide range of fats and oils, among the most common is soybean oil. When processed, soybeans are 80% meal as well as 20% oil. That offers an abundant supply of meal, commonly used for livestock feed and human food, as well as oil.
In concert with the report, the United Soybean Board and Soybean Checkoff unveiled a lifecycle profile of U.S. soybean farming and processing that makes biodiesel's environmental record shine even brighter. For instance, biodiesel reduces many vehicle emissions that are harmful to human health including greenhouse gas emissions. The 3.36 billion bushels of soybeans grown in the United States in 2009 removed the carbon equivalent of taking 21 million cars off the road.
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Tagged: biodiesel, soybean, soybeans, farming, checkoff
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