One of the largest fleets in North America is making big moves to meet its decarbonization goals. In 2021, multinational food and beverage company PepsiCo announced its new sustainability initiative— PepsiCo Positive. I was able to discuss their plans and implemented practices with representatives from PepsiCo and Optimus Technologies at a main stage session at the recent Clean Fuels Conference.

“It’s really about our future, and this transformation is deliberate and strategic, and it puts sustainability right at the heart of how we do what we do,” David Allen, PepsiCo’s Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer said. “It’s how we’re going to grow, how we’re going to create value, and how we’re going to ensure long term success and bring positive environmental benefits for the planet and all of its people.”

The company has set a lofty target— net zero emission by 2040. To meet these climate goals and the needs of its complex fleet, PepsiCo has employed renewable sources like alternative fuels to decarbonize and improve operational efficiency. The shift to renewable energy within all facets of the company’s owned and regulated operations, franchise endeavors, and third-party involvements could lead to a decrease of around 2.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the year 2040— equivalent to the reduction to removing over half a million cars from the roads for an entire year. 

Part of PepsiCo’s plan includes energy diversification across its 80,000-asset fleet, and the solution isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer.

“We have a very diverse fleet,” Adam Buttgenbach, Director of Fleet Engineering and Sustainability with PepsiCo said. “The way that we manage and move those through our supply chain consists of everything from Class 1 through Class 8 vehicles, on highway and off-highway, yard management, material handling equipment. With that very diverse operating cycle that we have, we try to find the best solution that fits the needs of the business as well as the low carbon energy for that. For the past two decades we’ve focused on improving the efficiency of our fleet with aerodynamics, low rolling resistance, and also incorporating a lot of alternative fuels.”

While natural gas and electric vehicles are part of the solution, so are low-carbon, clean renewable fuels. PepsiCo is using renewable diesel for some of its operations in California and biodiesel in other parts of the country. The company has also partnered with Optimus Technologies for a B100 pilot project.

This project started at PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay manufacturing plant in Topeka, Kansas with 10 vehicles. They wanted to test B100’s performance in over-the-road operations that traveled in rural parts of the United States, a sector that is traditionally very hard to decarbonize. The success of that pilot project gave PepsiCo the confidence to continue building out the program. There are now several dozen trucks operating on B100 year-round out of Topeka. They are expanding this program in February to include their Wisconsin plant, with plans to scale up throughout the year with a couple hundred more trucks operating on B100.

Because most engines are not immediately equipped to use B100, PepsiCo has utilized the Optimus Technologies Vector System to convert diesel engines to run on 100% biodiesel.

“The technology provides a low-cost pathway to decarbonization that allows fleets to maintain their business resiliency and operations, because we’re never inhibiting the engine from running traditional diesel or renewable diesel,” said Optimus Technologies CEO Colin Huwyler.

Many different fleets are utilizing this technology to quickly and cost-effectively lower their emissions. Municipalities and commercial groups like PepsiCo are catching on to the here-and-now benefits of upgrading their current fleets to run on B100. 

“We need progress not perfection,” said Allen. “We need action and progress now. If we wait for a perfect solution, we won’t go anywhere, whether we’re talking biofuels, whether we’re talking agriculture, whether we’re talking any of the elements of sustainability and improvement. It’s about incrementality, then where do we go from there.”

PepsiCo hopes to not just show off their methods for meeting sustainability goals—they want to encourage and empower others to do the same.

“As we look to be a leader in the space, it’s not just ‘how do we educate and try to advance and show fleets what we are doing,’ but how do we help enable them to follow similar goals for decarbonization,” Buttgenbach said.

PepsiCo has proven that biodiesel and B100 play important roles in achieving sustainability goals and was recognized with the Clean Fuels Alliance America Inspiration Award at the Clean Fuels Conference 2024. The company is tackling environmental challenges head-on and blazing a trail for fleets to lower carbon emissions now and in the future.

The post Inspired Action: PepsiCo’s Efforts to Decarbonize North America’s Largest Private Fleet appeared first on Clean Fuels Alliance America.

The post Cold Flow appeared first on Clean Fuels Alliance America.

The post Original Equipment Manufacturer Fuel Compatibility appeared first on Clean Fuels Alliance America.

The post NREL Biodiesel Handling and Use Guide (6th-Edition) appeared first on Clean Fuels Alliance America.

The post Original Equipment Manufacturer Positions on Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel appeared first on Clean Fuels Alliance America.

The post Sample Material Safety Data Sheet for Biodiesel appeared first on Clean Fuels Alliance America.

Under the direction of Clean Fuels and NREL, revisions to the guide are provided by leading industry researchers and subject matter experts and approved by independent reviewers and the U.S. Department of Energy. The last revision was published in November 2016.

The latest edition captures the most recent studies and standardized use for on- and off-road applications, railroad, marine, home heating oil systems and power generation applications. New data on storage stability, manufacturer approvals, and the increasing level of quality across the industry will provide greater benefits including higher expectations of performance.

“Our goal is to provide our member organizations, stakeholders and each end-user with the most accurate and up-to-date data related to blending or using biomass-based diesel fuels to ensure proper use and handling,” said Scott Fenwick, Technical Director for Clean Fuels. “We encourage anyone who is considering distributing biodiesel and biodiesel blends, to promote this free guide to their customers.”

The official guide resides on the NREL website and can be downloaded free of charge. Users can also access Clean Fuels’ Biodiesel Toolkit to learn more.

Contact: Heather Buechter, hbuechter@cleanfuels.org, 479-651-7301.

The post NREL Releases Sixth Edition of Biodiesel Handling and Use Guide appeared first on Clean Fuels Alliance America.

Biodiesel isn’t a substitute for diesel fuel; it’s an upgrade. Biodiesel adds lubricity to an engine, eliminating the need for a fuel additive. It lowers particulate matter, hydrocarbons, CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases. It’s non-hazardous, biodegradable and non-toxic. It’s helping fleets quickly meet carbon reduction goals in hard-to-electrify, heavy-duty vehicles. The benefits are apparent, but newcomers often want to know whether it works. Changing fuels in your most expensive vehicles is a high-stakes decision. However, mounds of data show that in today’s diesel engines, biodiesel works at B20 (a blend of 20%
biodiesel with 80% diesel), and even higher blends. It’s even been tested and works in engines that won’t be on the market until five to ten years from now.

At Clean Fuels Alliance America (formerly the National Biodiesel Board), we’re constantly putting biodiesel to the test because we want people to know what we know: that biodiesel is a high-quality fuel. Throughout its 30-year history, the biodiesel industry and Clean Fuels have proactively led cooperative research projects with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and leading research institutions to determine if the ASTM specifications for B100 needed to be modified to ensure that biodiesel blends will perform reliably and effectively when diesel fuel or diesel engine regulations change.

Based on compelling new biodiesel fuel quality data from some of the nation’s top research institutions, ASTM International has published a new Low Metals (LM) grade of biodiesel in D6751, the ASTM specification for low-carbon B100 biodiesel used as a blendstock with middle distillate fuels such as diesel
fuel.

The latest round of research tested the impacts of B20 on the long-term durability of diesel particulate filters in New Technology Diesel Engines (NTDEs) outfitted with modern Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) aftertreatment.

This study was conducted with Southwest Research Institute and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in a large, multi-year cooperative program with diesel engine and exhaust aftertreatment manufacturers. The testing compared long-term (over 1,000 hours of accelerated aging) impacts of NTDEs running on B20 with a lower level of metals – equivalent to B100 containing a total of 4 parts per million (ppm) for sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) – to the impacts of conventional ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD).

The results indicated that biodiesel containing a maximum of 4 ppm total metals resulted in ash that was similar to that deposited by the ULSD, exhibited a similar ash cleaning removal efficiency, did not have a negative effect on DPF pressure drop or regeneration rates, and did not appear to have any deleterious physical effects on the DPF substrate. These studies were presented at the SAE Congress in Detroit in April 2023 and published as SAE Papers 2023-01-0297 and 2023-01-0296. The work was instrumental in the passage of a successful ballot by the ASTM D02 Fuels Committee to approve a new LM grade of ASTM D6751 biodiesel with a maximum of 4 ppm total metals (Na+K+Ca+Mg), down from the existing grades which allow up to 10 ppm total metals.

The biodiesel fuel quality report published by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) is a final contributing factor to the persuasive technical data required to tighten ASTM specifications. Now in its sixth year, this annual report documents the quality of biodiesel produced in the United States and Canada by BQ-9000 certified producers, which represent over 90% of North American production. According to the most recent NREL report from June 2023, the current average of B100 total metals in the marketplace today registers below 1 ppm total, well below the 4 ppm specification recently adopted in the new LM grade of biodiesel at ASTM.

The rigor of these cooperative research efforts and the positive results, along with the already low level of metals in commercial production in the field, bode well for biodiesel use in the new Ultra-Low Emissions Diesel Engines (ULEDE) coming to market in 2027-2031.

As ASTM International celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, it has chosen the ASTM D6751 specification for biodiesel as one of the Top 10 most influential standards that ASTM has ever produced. This specification has ensured that biodiesel is held to a higher standard than petroleum diesel, meaning that as long as fuel meets the specs, it will perform throughout an engine’s full life.

The new standard will continue to bolster confidence in the fuel for OEMs and fleets, providing further evidence that biodiesel is a high-quality fuel, continually improving, and meeting robust quality standards.

That confidence is essential because as emissions standards tighten and corporations increase pledges to reduce their carbon footprint, fleets require immediate solutions. Consumers and regulators are demanding greener practices, and biodiesel is rising to meet that demand.

The pressure is on. There may be a day when companies have traded their diesel semi-trucks for expensive electric models and figured out how to keep them charged as they ship goods across the country, but these companies can’t wait a decade or longer for heavy-duty electrification to be optimized and tested—they need solutions today.

Biodiesel is available as a high-quality drop-in fuel. It is becoming the obvious or, in many cases, the only choice. Biodiesel is shifting from a luxury item for a few environmentally conscious fleets to a necessity for corporations to compete in the modern world.

New research and tighter specifications are important pieces in making fleets feel comfortable with that choice. Clean Fuels will continue to work closely with ASTM International, OEMs, and leading research institutions to ensure that B20 and higher biodiesel blends continue to offer fleets an easy, reliable, and sustainable decarbonization solution now and for decades to come.

We have rigorous data to ensure that B20 can perform in any diesel engine and any application, whether that be highway, ag, marine, rail, heating oil, or power generation. Engine manufacturers and fleets should be confident that biodiesel is fit for purpose in the diesel engines of yesterday, today, and tomorrow and will have only positive impacts on performance and durability.

The data shows time and time again that fleets can have it all. They can meet emissions goals while filling up with reliable, high-quality fuel. Biodiesel has become a premium product that solves the challenges of today’s fleets. Clean Fuels Alliance America will continue to work with OEMs and biodiesel producers to ensure our fuel continually improves and exceeds the demands of heavy-duty engines.

This article was funded by the United Soybean Board and state checkoff organizations.

The post New Research, Tighter Specs, A Boost for Biodiesel appeared first on Clean Fuels Alliance America.

Participants provided monthly data on critical quality parameters to a team of experts who anonymized the data to NREL for statistical analysis. The data collected for 2022 suggests a higher level of quality of BQ-9000 biodiesel for users that blend with petroleum diesel across the U.S., meaning biodiesel production well exceeds the current ASTM specification limits.

Clean Fuels Technical Director Scott Fenwick said the annual assessment is used by entities such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to validate biodiesel quality while supporting the clean fuels industry.

“The results of this assessment have led to the improvement of biodiesel spec ASTM D6751-23,” said Fenwick. “These improvements have allowed major fleets to switch to biodiesel to meet carbon reduction goals and will likely lead to higher blend approvals for some OEMs in the future.”

You can access the full assessment by visiting www.NREL.gov or by clicking here.

Materials supported by United Soybean Board, soybean farmers and their checkoffs.

Contact: Heather Buechter, hbuechter@cleanfuels.org, 479-651-7301.

The post National Renewable Energy Laboratory Releases Assessment of BQ-9000 Biodiesel Properties for 2022 appeared first on Clean Fuels Alliance America.

Throughout its 30-year history, the biodiesel industry and Clean Fuels Alliance America (previously known as the National Biodiesel Board) have proactively led cooperative research projects with OEMs and leading research institutions to determine if the ASTM specifications for B100 needed to be modified to ensure that biodiesel blends would perform reliably and effectively when diesel fuel or diesel engine regulations changed. This latest round of research followed that same strategy to test the impacts of B20 (a blend of 20% biodiesel with 80% Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel or ULSD) on the long-term durability of diesel particulate filters in New Technology Diesel Engines (NTDEs) outfitted with modern Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) aftertreatment.

This recently completed research was conducted with Southwest Research Institute and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in a large, multi-year cooperative program with diesel engine and exhaust aftertreatment manufacturers. The testing compared long-term (over 1,000 hours of accelerated aging) impacts of NTDEs running on B20 with a lower level of metals – equivalent to B100 containing a total of  4 parts per million (PPM) for sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium – to the impacts of conventional ultra-low sulfur diesel.

The results indicated that biodiesel containing a maximum of 4 PPM total metals resulted in ash that was similar to that deposited by the ULSD, exhibited a similar ash cleaning removal efficiency, did not have a negative effect on DPF pressure drop or regeneration rates, and did not appear to have any deleterious physical effects on the DPF substrate. These studies were recently presented at the SAE Congress in Detroit in April and published as SAE Papers 2023-01-0297 and 2023-01-0296. The work was instrumental in the passage of a successful ballot by the ASTM D02 Fuels Committee to approve a new Low Metals (LM) grade of ASTM D6751 biodiesel with a maximum of 4 PPM total metals (Na+K+Ca+Mg), down from the existing grades which allow up to 10 PPM total metals.

A final contributing factor to the persuasive technical data required to modify ASTM specifications has been the biodiesel fuel quality report published by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). Now in its fifth year, this annual report documents the quality of biodiesel produced in the United States and Canada by BQ-9000 certified producers, which represent over 90% of North American production.  According to the most recent NREL report from June 2022, the current average of B100 total metals (Na+K+Ca+Mg) in the marketplace today registers below 1 PPM total, well below the 4 PPM specification recently adopted in the new LM grade of biodiesel at ASTM.

“The annual BQ-9000 quality reports demonstrate general compliance with this new Low Metals grade by the industry, even today,” said Clean Fuels Technical Director Scott Fenwick. “Soybean growers, through the Soybean Checkoff Program, continue to invest in fuel quality and engine testing to provide more confidence to engine manufacturers and fleets that biodiesel is fit for purpose in the diesel engines of yesterday, today and tomorrow, and will have only positive impacts on performance and durability.”

 The rigor of these cooperative research efforts and the positive results, along with the already low level of metals in commercial production in the field, bode well for biodiesel use in the new Ultra-Low Emissions Diesel Engines (ULEDE) coming to market in 2027-2031. Clean Fuels Alliance America will continue to work closely with ASTM International, the Original Equipment Manufacturers, and leading research institutions to ensure that B20 and higher biodiesel blends continue to offer fleets an easy, reliable and sustainable decarbonization solution now and for decades to come.

As ASTM International celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, it has chosen the ASTM D6751 specification for biodiesel as one of the Top 10 most influential standards that ASTM has ever produced.

###

The post Cooperative Industry Research Pivotal for New Low Metals Grade of B100 Biodiesel appeared first on Clean Fuels Alliance America.