The primary educational goal of this research is to make sure all biodiesel and renewable diesel feedstocks, including soybean oil, are included in the carbon reduction strategies of the CLCPA. If this project is successful it could open a one-billion-gallon market for biodiesel which would be expected to be approximately 50% soy-based, consuming approximately 3.7 billion pounds of soybean oil.
The primary goal of the researchers is to generate publications which can be used in the education of policymakers and environmental stakeholders. The research that has already been completed demonstrates that the value of achieving decarbonization using commercially available, lipid biomass-based diesel is greater than that provided by the electrification of heavy-duty vehicles in the future. The proposed research expands this analysis to demonstrate the value that lipid biomass-based diesel has compared to the future alternatives medium-duty vehicle electrification and cellulosic biofuels. Quantifying the carbon abatement potential of lipid-based biodiesel and renewable diesel relative to other options under the CLCPA could lead to an additional 950 million gallons of annual demand for biomass-based diesel from lipid feedstocks, including soybean oil.