Did you know March 18 is National Biodiesel Day? We didn't either. Turns out, it's March 18 in honor of Rudolf Diesel's birthday. In the 1890s, he invented the diesel engine, which was designed to run on peanut oil.

What is biodiesel?

Biodiesel is produced from a broad range of renewable resources including soybean oil, animal fats and recycled cooking grease. It can be used in diesel engines without modifying the engine. It can be used alone or blended with petroleum diesel.

How much biodiesel is produced in the U.S.?

How many biodiesel plants are there in the United States?

As of Dec. 15, 2020, there were 105 biodiesel plants in the U.S., according to Biodiesel Magazine. The plant with the largest capacity is located in North Dakota and the lowest capacity plants are in Goshen, Ky., and Chicago, Ill.

How much energy does it use to produce biodiesel?

According to the National Biodiesel Board, for every unit of fossil fuel required to make biodiesel, it returns 3.5 units of renewable energy.

Where can you buy biodiesel?

Check out the list of biodiesel retailers to see if there is a retailer near you.

The National Biodiesel Board today unveiled a new industry vision, a plan to grow the industry to more than 6 billion gallons of production by 2030, and with advancements in feedstocks, to 15 billion gallons by 2050.