The Luck O' the Environment

March 1, 2022

By Kriss Nelson, Iowa Soybean Association

Going green is in style. One place to start is at the fuel pump. Consider “greener” fuel at the pump with a variety of environmentally friendly options.

On St. Patrick’s Day, and every day, going green is in style. One place to start is at the fuel pump.

You don’t have to have the luck of the Irish to benefit from the savings, as ethanol already lowers costs at the pump. E15, often marketed as Unleaded 88, costs between 5 to 10 cents less per gallon than Super Unleaded E10. Another ethanol option is E85 which contains up to 85% ethanol.

Ethanol options are more available than a four-leaf clover. E15 is approved for use in model 2001 and newer cars, light-duty trucks, medium-duty passenger vehicles (SUVs), and flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). E85 gas is suitable for vehicles designated as an FFV by the manufacturer.

These ethanol blends are available statewide, and most of those gallons are made from corn raised right here in Iowa.

What comes to mind when you think of the color green and a farmer in their field? Perhaps it’s their large green equipment? From planters to combines and other essential equipment, a farmer’s passion for green truly runs deep.

“The seeds we see farmers planting in the spring produce beautiful green plants. The farmer tends to the plants over the next five to six months. When Mother Nature says the time is now, farmers harvest the crop, which can be refined into green fuel for vehicles,” says Aimee Bissell, a farmer from Bedford.

The concept of crops providing fuel for vehicles is not new.

“In 1896, Henry Ford, who was a farm boy, designed a Quadricycle that ran on ethanol,” Bissell says. “The concept was great, and even motorsports used alcohol to fuel cars in the late 1800s and early 1900s.”

Fueling up with ethanol, or another green fuel, such as biodiesel, is also a way to support the American farmer.

“The opportunity is now to look out your window and remember the American farmer has the ability to supply you with a clean, renewable fuel source,” says Bissell. “On your next trip to the pump, I invite you to look at ethanol or a biodiesel option. This choice will put a little piece of a farmer’s field in your vehicle and keep a little bit of money in your pocket.”

Ethanol is a Lucky Charm

Fueling with ethanol helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease our dependence on foreign oil, create American jobs and revitalize rural communities.

According to the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa is the nation’s leader in ethanol production, using roughly 1.5 billion bushels of corn to produce 4.5 billion gallons of ethanol in 2019. This total accounts for about 27% of U.S. ethanol production.

These Ethanol Facts are Pure Gold

The use of ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 54.5 million metric tons per year; equivalent to removing 11.5 million cars from the road for an entire year.
Ethanol is an Earth-friendly biofuel, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46% more than gasoline, according to a 2021 Harvard report published by the Environmental Research Letters.
E15 gives consumers more choice at the pump, a lower-priced option and more significant environmental benefits.

Find your Pot of Gold with Biodiesel

To educate consumers about the benefits of biofuels and biodiesel, the Iowa Soybean Association has a new biodiesel marketing campaign at the Des Moines International Airport, depicting a fuel pump made of soybeans.

For vehicles powered by diesel, there is a green fuel option – biodiesel.

Biodiesel is the nation’s first domestically produced, commercially available, advanced biofuel.

When it comes to the environmental benefits, reducing carbon emissions and particulate air emissions are at the top of the list, and biodiesel and renewable diesel boast these attributes.

According to the Clean Fuels Alliance America, using biodiesel instead of petroleum-based fuels reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 86%.

Biodiesel is burned by vehicles on land, rail and sea.

“The over-the-road commercial trucking industry is a major user of biodiesel,” says Grant Kimberley, senior director for market development at the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA).

“It is via the trucking sector that goods and services are shipped around the country, how groceries show up on the shelves at the local store and how Amazon moves its products,” Kimberley says. “So the potential for use is significant.”

Trains are powered by biodiesel as well, and from a global standpoint, ocean vessels that ship products from around the world to U.S. ports are burning biodiesel.

ISA has started a new biodiesel marketing campaign at the Des Moines International Airport, depicting a fuel pump made of soybeans.

“It’s another effort to educate consumers about the benefits of biofuels and biodiesel,” Kimberley says.

Biodiesel also helps to support Iowa farmers.

“Biodiesel adds 13% of the market value of the price of soybeans that a farmer receives,” says Kimberley. “In today’s market, that is well over $2 a bushel.”

There is also an economic incentive to expanding the soybean processing sector. A new soybean processing plant will soon be operational in Shellrock, with plans to build another in Alta. AGP has announced an expansion at their Sergeant Bluff/Sioux City facility, to name a few.

These processing facilities crush soybeans for soybean oil. Soybean oil is currently the major feedstock for the production of biodiesel.

“The expansion means more local jobs and a better basis for the farmers who sell to those areas,” says Kimberley.

*According to manufacturers’ recommendations, biodiesel blends can be used in any diesel vehicle without modification and dispensed through existing fueling stations.*

Can’t Pinch These Green Biodiesel Facts:

Biodiesel has the highest energy balance of any commercially available U.S. fuel. This means soybean biodiesel yields 4.56 units of energy for every unit of fossil energy consumed over its life cycle.
Biodiesel is produced from various renewable resources, such as plant oils, animal fats, recycled grease and even algae, making it one of the most sustainable fuels on the planet. And with biodiesel, you don’t sacrifice food for fuel. Oils and fats for biodiesel are a minor by-product of producing high-protein feeds (soybean meal) and quality meats.
Biodiesel is biodegradable, non-toxic, burns much cleaner than petrodiesel, and is better for your health. Compared to petrodiesel, biodiesel reduces black smoke (particulates), carbon monoxide and harmful unburned hydrocarbons that cause smog.
Using biodiesel is easy. B20 and lower blends are a drop-in replacement for petrodiesel. According to manufacturers’ recommendations, these biodiesel blends can be used in any diesel vehicle without modification and dispensed through existing fueling stations. For a listing of Original Equipment Manufacturer guidelines on biodiesel, visit www.biodiesel.org/using-biodiesel/oem-information.

Iowa is “greening” ear to ear with ethanol and biodiesel production with 42 ethanol plants and 11 biodiesel plants.

These plants produce jobs that not only impact our local economies, they also produce a product used to feed our livestock that ultimately ends up on our grocery store shelves.

“Iowans are good at a lot of things, two of which happen to be growing crops and producing clean fuel,” says Bissell. “Ranking No. 1 in ethanol and biodiesel production is a tremendous honor.”