Northfield Amcon begins selling biodiesel

Northfield Amcon today becomes the first area fuel retailer, and one of the first in Minnesota, to sell a high blend of biodiesel at the pump. The station offers a B99 blend (99% soy biodiesel, 1% petroleum diesel) at a price competitive with petroleum diesel.

I've used biodiesel in my diesel VW Jettas since 2002, attracted by the environmental benefits of this cleaner burning, renewable fuel which can be used in any unmodified diesel engine. Frustrated by the lack of local availability, I and a number of other like-minded folks created the Northfield Biodiesel Buyers' Club in January 2006. One of the primary goals of the Club has been to demonstrate that there is strong local demand for biodiesel, so I am thrilled by owner Jim Johnson's decision to partner with Minneapolis-based Biodiesel People to provide this new local fuel alternative.

With most biodiesel in the U.S. currently being made from virgin soybean oil, some (but not all) of the issues related to corn-based ethanol production (see, for example, the new Carleton student website, Our Ethanol Debate) are relevant to biodiesel. However, the production process is much less energy and water-intensive, and the net energy balance is much better (see, for example, recent research by Jason Hill, David Tilman et al). The life-cycle emissions of carbon dioxide from biodiesel are 41% lower than from petroleum diesel.

Local drivers of diesel pickups, diesel Mercedes, and diesel VWs can now conveniently burn biodiesel without any modification to their vehicles. Given that biodiesel is a much cleaner burning fuel than petroleum diesel, I would hope that we would soon see a high blend of biodiesel being used in Northfield Transit and Northfield Public Schools buses.

Bruce Anderson is head of Sustainable Community Solutions, a local consulting firm.