In Illinois, Soybean Is King and Helps Fuel Everything from Farmers to Chicago Park District Trucks

by Amy Yee (Chicago Sun Times) Eco-friendly biodiesel made from refined soybean oil boosts Illinois, the country’s largest producer of the crop. --- ... About 80 (Chicago) park district vehicles are fueled by biodiesel blends made from refined soybean oil. That’s about 25% of its diesel fleet, which includes service and forestry trucks, tractors and mowers.

The parks department uses various kinds of clean energy for its vehicles and equipment. It started using soybean-based biodiesel blended with regular diesel in 2011. The liquid fuel can supplement regular diesel often used in heavy vehicles.

“It performs better than standard diesel, and the power is the same. It also benefits the health of our employees and park visitors,” Mike Dimitroff, manager of cultural and natural resources for Chicago Park District, said.

Eco-friendly biodiesel made from refined soybean oil boosts Illinois, the country’s largest producer of the crop.

Illinois has been a national leader in biodiesel for more than 20 years. In 2003, the state implemented a 6.25% sales tax exemption for fuel blended with biodiesel, making it cheaper, or the same price, as conventional diesel for consumers.

“The sales tax exemption has been a great success in boosting biodiesel in the state,” Earl said.

For biodiesel to be eligible for Illinois’ tax break, the blend threshold must be 17% . On April 1, 2026, the threshold will rise to 20%.

Biodiesel works in even higher blends. Seven park district trucks run on 100% biodiesel. Several of them service the city’s lakefront to minimize fumes for pedestrians, runners and cyclists.

The U.S. biodiesel industry started growing in the early 1990s when Missouri soybean farmers began trying to commercialize the fuel. Missouri soybean commodity groups funded biodiesel research and development and in 1992, founded the National SoyDiesel Development Board, which was renamed Clean Fuels Alliance.

Today, more than half of U.S. biodiesel production capacity is in the Midwest, primarily in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.

Over the years, biodiesel technology has improved and disproved misconceptions about performance. Certified biodiesel blends of 20% and below work without modifying vehicles and fuel pumps, Probst said.

Vehicles fueled with biodiesel “have logged billions of problem-free miles in all kinds of Illinois weather, including sub-zero temperatures,” according to the Illinois Soybean Association.

Incobrasa sources crops from 4,600 Illinois farms within a 50-mile radius. It stores tons of soybeans in massive silos and processes them in enormous industrial machines on its 800-acre site.

Inside one of its facilities, machines whir as Incobrasa bottles white-label vegetable oil sold in retail stores nationwide. It also makes vegetable oil for USAID that is shipped to countries such as Yemen, South Sudan and Somalia, said Kerry Fogarty, Incobrasa’s quality control manager.

Demand for soybeans as food isn’t growing, but the biodiesel market is, said Aluizio Ribeiro, Incobrasa’s president. There is even more growth potential for using biodiesel in trains and ships, he added.

Aviation fuel made from biodiesel is also promising, said Stan Born, national director of the American Soybean Association and a farmer based in Lovington. But the sustainable aviation fuel industry “is still relatively young and needs support to get its legs,” Born said.

Brazilian-owned Incobrasa expanded into the U.S. with its Gilman facility in 1995. Initially, the plant crushed beans for soy meal and cooking oil; the commercial U.S. biodiesel market didn’t exist yet.

“We still had a great deal of soybean oil that needed a market. Biodiesel was the answer,” Fogarty said.

In 2004, Incobrasa added an oil refinery and a packaging facility for food-grade vegetable oil.

Today, about 90% of Incobrasa’s biodiesel is distributed in Illinois, Ribeiro said. That benefits the company because shorter supply chains are more efficient. Biodiesel can be found at mainstream gas stations that sell diesel, such as BP and Road Ranger.

Incobrasa is also insulated from trade wars and market volatility, Ribeiro added. The domestic biodiesel industry is shielded from tariffs, which are roiling U.S. farmers who rely on export markets. About 85% of Incobrasa’s soybeans come from farmers in Illinois with the rest sourced from nearby states, he said.

Biodiesel also creates valuable jobs in the rural economy. Incobrasa is the biggest employer in Iroquois County, said Rick Theesfeld, mayor of Gilman, which has a population of approximately 1,500. Incobrasa employs about 200 people and will add 100 jobs after its expansion. READ MORE