• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

U.S. Canola Association

Search
  • About Us
    • What is Canola?
    • Membership
      • Benefits of Membership
      • Types of Membership
    • Governance
    • Board & Staff
    • Meetings & Events
      • Register for Meeting
    • Contact Us
  • Advocacy
    • Appropriations
    • Biofuels
    • Biotechnology
    • Crop Insurance
    • Dietary Guidelines
    • Farm Bill
    • Pesticides
    • Sustainable Farming
    • Trade
    • Miscellaneous
  • News & Views
    • Press Releases
      • 'Bee' Aware: USCA Issues Best Management Practices for Pollinator Health
      • Archives
    • USCA Blog
      • Glyphosate Safety: Facts vs. Fiction
    • Canola Quick Bytes
    • U.S. Canola Digest
      • U.S. Canola Digest Archives
    • Advertising
    • Image Gallery
  • Production
    • U.S. Canola Production
    • Seed, Meal & Oil
    • Why Grow Canola?
      • Grower Testamonials
    • Pollinator Health
    • Promote Canola Acres
    • Grower Resources
    • Sustainability
    • U.S. Canola Suppliers
  • Research
    • National Canola Research Program
      • National Canola Research Program Archives
      • Research Objectives
      • North Central Research
      • Great Plains Research
      • Pacific Northwest Research
      • Southern Research
      • Midwestern-Northeastern Research
      • National Research
    • National Canola Research Conference
      • 2014 National Canola Research Conference
      • 2010 National Canola Research Conference
      • 2006 National Canola Research Conference
      • 2003 National Canola Research Conference
    • National Sclerotinia Initiative
    • Nutrition Research
  • Nutrition & Cooking
    • Qualified Health Claims
    • Heart-Check Certification
    • Skinny on Fats
    • Cooking & Recipes
    • Canola Meal & Protein
  • Industrial Uses
    • Biodiesel
    • Renewable Diesel
    • Other Industrial Applications

Renewable Diesel

The U.S. Canola Association has called upon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) update the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) lifecycle analysis for canola to make its oil eligible as a feedstock for the production of “renewable diesel.” This diesel is produced through a different process than biodiesel and the current RFS feedstock approval for canola as an advanced biofuel does not allow for it as renewable diesel. Market demand for renewable diesel and industry investment has been increasing, creating a potential market opportunity for canola.

Types of Diesel

What is the difference between renewable diesel and biodiesel? While both are made from organic biomasses, they differ in their sources and production processes, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Here is a run-down of the three types of diesel:

Petroleum Diesel: Conventional (petroleum-based) fossil fuel is made from crude oil — hydrocarbons, organic compounds and small amounts of metal from millions of years ago. To make petroleum diesel, crude oil is removed from the ground, pumped into a refinery, and subjected to a heat- and pressure-based process called hydrogenation.

Biodiesel: Instead of fossil fuels, biodiesel is made exclusively from lipids, such as vegetable oils, animal fats, grease and algae, which are renewable. It is also processed differently than petroleum and renewable diesel using transesterification, giving it different physical properties and hence, different fuel specifications. In addition, biodiesel is generally blended with petroleum diesel at a 5 to 20 percent ratio.

Renewable Diesel: Like biodiesel, renewable diesel is made of non-petroleum, renewable resources. But unlike biodiesel, these resources include lipids and cellulosic biomass, such as crop residues, woody biomass and dedicated energy crops. Renewable diesel is processed like petroleum diesel with hydrogenation or other thermochemical and biochemical means, making it chemically similar. That allows it to be used in engines designed to run on petroleum diesel without blending.

Both biodiesel and renewable diesel have places in the market and trump petroleum diesel as more sustainable, environmentally friendly choices. Canola oil is an excellent feedstock for these valuable fuels, including as a waste product in renewable diesel due to its use in high volumes by many foodservice operations and value as a heart-healthy, edible oil. Its usage in renewable diesel allows consumers to benefit from it for both personal and environmental health: first from consumption and secondly in their vehicles.

Photo courtesy of Eugene Water & Electric Board.

Our Partners
U.S. Canola Association

600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE,
Suite 410
Washington, DC 20003

Sign up for our
e-newsletter

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn YouTube
© 2023 U.S. Canola Association
  • Code of Ethics & Accessibility
Website Designed by ePageCity