US biodiesel blends to be offered all year round

The only advanced biofuel in the US, normally only available as a seasonal blend, is now to be offered all year round in certain states.

The South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, Harms Oil Company, National Biodiesel Foundation and Clean Cities have partnered to expand the availability of biodiesel in southwestern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota and northwest Iowa.

Through this joint effort, the Sioux Falls biodiesel blending facility at Harms Oil will now incorporate a heated tank to allow for year-round blending of the renewable fuel.

Biodiesel is typically not manufactured in winter months as it is regularly blended at temperatures above freezing, making it difficult to find in South Dakota and Minnesota due to the absence of heated product storage tanks.

Installation of the new infrastructure will improve the availability of biodiesel, as well as efficiently serve an increasing demand for renewable fuels.

‘This facility will offer a service that hasn't been available from a fuel distributor before, plus they will be capable of supplying an underserved region of the country,’ says Jim Willers, a soyabean farmer and chair of the Minnesota Biodiesel Council. ‘As a soyabean producer, I'm excited that biodiesel will be more readily available to people who want it.’