{"id":44916,"date":"2024-08-09T17:10:43","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T17:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spragueenergy.com\/?p=44916"},"modified":"2024-08-09T17:27:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T17:27:52","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-renewable-diesel-and-biodiesel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spragueenergy.com\/fr\/what-is-the-difference-between-renewable-diesel-and-biodiesel\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Difference Between Renewable Diesel and Biodiesel?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the quest for sustainable energy solutions, renewable diesel<\/a> and biodiesel<\/a> have emerged as two prominent biofuels. While they are often confused due to their similar origins and goals, renewable diesel and biodiesel largely differ in their production processes and chemical properties. This blog post will delve into these differences, helping you understand which fuel might be the better choice for different applications and your business sustainability goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Renewable Diesel: The Drop-In Fuel<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Renewable diesel<\/a> is an advanced low carbon liquid fuel designed to significantly reduce emissions. It is derived from renewable feedstocks such as used cooking oil like soybean and corn oil, and fats. While both renewable diesel and biodiesel are produced for renewable feedstocks, the key difference is how they are chemically produced and converted.<\/strong> Renewable Diesel production occurs through hydrotreating and isomerization. The feedstocks are then converted into pure diesel hydrocarbons. <\/strong>Fun fact: renewable diesel is chemically the same as petroleum diesel!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Benefits:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is where the \u2018drop-in\u2019 part comes in: renewable diesel can be used at 100% rate, meaning it requires no blending and no infrastructure changes to your vehicle. <\/strong>RD is high cetane, meaning it works faster and burns cleaner than other diesel fuel, while also being colorless, odorless, and serving as a stable fuel option. As we continue to expand RD availability throughout our footprint, we\u2019re not only lessening negative impacts on the environment, you don\u2019t have to compromise on your fleet performance in order to meet your sustainability goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some common questions may be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I fill up my truck with renewable diesel?<\/strong>
The answer is: yes! This fuel can be added to any diesel engine, or even blended with traditional diesel. No infrastructure changes involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who can use renewable diesel?<\/strong>
Any vehicle or fleet with a diesel engine. Whether you are in the construction industry, public transportation, fuel trucks for home heating, etc., this serves as a cleaner fuel option for you to run on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How credible is renewable diesel?<\/strong>
Renewable diesel meets ASTM D-975 specifications<\/a> and has been approved for use by major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To stay up to date on where you can fuel up with this sustainable fuel, visit our Renewable Diesel <\/a>page today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Biodiesel: The Versatile Blended Fuel<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Biodiesel<\/a> is a clean-burning alternative fuel that, like renewable diesel, is also sourced from renewable feedstocks. This renewable and biodegradable fuel can be blended based on application need, whether it be for diesel engines or home heating. Depending on the state and other factors, the use of biodiesel may be tax-exempt. Through the chemical conversion process of transesterification, feedstocks are converted into fatty acid methyl esters<\/strong>, also known as FAME. While renewable diesel is chemically the same as petroleum diesel, biodiesel must be blended with petroleum, typically between 80-98%. Bio-blends can range from 2% to 20%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Benefits:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to sharing the RD benefits such as reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, high cetane rating, and improved lubricity ensuring minimal upkeep and no infrastructure or engine modifications, biodiesel is also known for its various blend options. Different states hold various mandates for different percentages of bio-blends, and percentages will continue to increase as the years go on. Take a look at some current state mandates in the Northeast:<\/p>\n\n\n\n