Biodiesel Demo Aims to Increase Farmer Use

(Wallaces Farmer) Every farmer should plant with B20 biodiesel this spring, says Iowa co-op. -- A demonstration by an Iowa farm cooperative aims to persuade more farmers in the state to use biodiesel. United Farmers Cooperative, based at Afton in southern Iowa, put two trucks head-to-head to compare how blends of 5% and 20% biodiesel (B5 and B20) performed. The B20 truck won.

The four-month trial in 2016 had identical company automatic 18-wheelers with Volvo engines fill up with biodiesel from United Farmers Cooperative blender pumps. Darin Schlapia, the co-op’s energy operations manager, kept records on differences in miles per gallon between the trucks. At the end of the trial, the B5 truck averaged 5.19 mpg. The B20 truck averaged 5.84 mpg.

“We want to get the good word of biodiesel out there and encourage more farmers to use it,” Schlapia says. “Although we’ve seen biodiesel sales increase fairly dramatically in the last year, it’s surprising how many farmers say they don’t want to try it because of what they heard about it 10 years ago. We’re no longer seeing problems … only success.”

“While not everyone sees the mileage improvement we saw in our demonstration, the enhanced lubricity, high cetane and cleaner-burning nature of biodiesel are all factors that can lead to longer engine life and better overall performance,” says Steve Howell, senior technical adviser for the National Biodiesel Board. “Improvements in the specifications and attention to fuel quality over the last 10 years have virtually eliminated the issues some users may have seen in the past with B20, even in winter.” READ MORE