Feedstock Flexibility

Keys to delivering reliable, ratable biodiesel.

Today, quality biodiesel can be made from plant oils, animal fats, used cooking oil — and even new sources such as algae and cover crops. The ability to use different feedstocks to create high quality biodiesel is known as feedstock flexibility, and it has many benefits.

1. More predictable pricing and availability. Feedstock flexibility helps remove some of the instability of commodity markets — which provides supply chain advantages to customers. When the price rises or there are supply issues for a certain feedstock, a multi-feedstock refinery can switch to an alternative.

2. Customized fuel. Feedstock flexibility attempts to captures some of the best properties of different feedstocks. So different types of biodiesel “recipes” can be made to achieve the various performance and other objectives customers want.

3. Lower carbon intensity. That’s a big deal in states like California, where the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) requires the reduction of the carbon intensity of transportation fuels.1 This can be achieved through the increased use of inedible feedstocks to produce biodiesel.

1 California Air Resources Board https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/low-carbon-fuel-standard 

Here’s why feedstock flexibility works:

Some of today’s leading biodiesel producers have the processing technology required to make quality biodiesel regardless of the feedstock they use.

Feedstock flexibility infographic.

Our unique agility in the market enables us to sell and distribute our product in multiple ways to meet our customers’ supply chain needs and help them work toward their lower carbon targets. See how Chevron Renewable Energy Group is equipped to get fuel to your company as quickly and safely as possible.

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Science agrees.

  • Biodiesel is a registered fuel and fuel additive with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
  • That registration requires all biodiesel to meet the ASTM D6751 specification.
  • This specification makes no mention of feedstock, but the feedstock should not impact biodiesel quality in order to meet the standard.

Ultimately, feedstock flexibility benefits everybody — the commodity market, biodiesel producers and biodiesel customers. It supports business, reduces carbon intensity and works for our future. 

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