What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is an advanced biofuel that is renewable and has been used for decades as a cleaner-burning alternative to petroleum diesel. The most common biodiesel feedstocks are recycled cooking oil, waste animal fats and vegetable oils. In the production process, the feedstock is reacted with methanol to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). This process is called transesterification. Biodiesel is blended with conventional petroleum diesel at a rate of 5% to 20%, depending on the time of year and geographic location. The resulting “B5” to “B20” is then sold at the retail station level to diesel fuel vehicle consumers. These Biodiesel blends are cleaner burning and lower in GHG emissions than conventional diesel.

Pearson Fuels supplies Biodiesel to distributors and through its retail customer network. Biodiesel, in the 5% to 20% range is an effective margin improver for retailers looking for a competitive edge in the marketplace.