Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience include but not limited to: OEM's, Bioheat suppliers/dealers/consumers, the scientific community, Clean Cities Coordinators, biodiesel producers, feedstock providers, petroleum companies, fleet managers, pipeline companies, engine and vehicle manufactures, government agencies, as well as consumers and the general public who wish to learn more about biodiesel. Information will be provided through meetings, conferences, tradeshows, phone requests, website information, media relations, and the Biodiesel Technology Workshop and the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo. In addition, industry members will participate in the coordination and prioritization of efforts needed to move the industry forward by creating a level of understanding and acceptance among the other industry stakeholders. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?• Via email, brochures, family of websites and mobile apps • Webinars • Conference calls • Annual conference • Tradeshows • And more... What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Track biodiesel and renewable dieselusuage in CY2019 of at least 2.82billion gallons. Soybean oil is now the major feedstock for both biodiesel and renewable diesel plants. USDA is now reporting that biomass diesel will use 8.2 billion pounds of by soybean oil in the 2018/2019 marketing year. So far 1.1 billion pounds of additional soybean oil has been utilized for biodiesel production in 2019 v 2018. Develop industry priorities and futureProgram Plan, based on working with key industry stakeholders. Conducted successful 2019 Conference and Expo in San Diego, CA and planning for 2020 Conference and Expo in Tampa, FL. The annual conference has become a place to conduct business in the biodiesel and renewable diesel industry so providing networking opportunites between petroleum Working with multiple California biodiesel stakeholders to host key farmer leaders to help them to understand the challenges and opportunities of the California market. Working to bring feedstock providers; soybean producers, renders, used cooking oil recyclers together with biodiesel/renewable diesel producers. Acquired the Market Intelligence Report from Jacobsen. Hosted and conducted a succcessful 2018 Technical Conference, planning 2019. Provided brochures and other promotional materials to members throughtout the country for branding influence. Started review of fuel fact sheets/brochures on biodiesel website. Provided promotional items to The Eat Foundation for a 3-day, hands-on workshop where they educate educators on the importance of agriculture in their lives and the lives of their students. Significant email traffic and several conference calls occurred in the testing protocols and the donation of the engines for NBB's high blend emissions testing at Purdue and the CARB Low Emissions Diesel testing occurring at CeCert later in the year. Feedback was received from CARB on the LED program fuel requirements for both quality and quantity of CARB reference diesel, biodiesel, and renewable hydrocarbon diesel. NBB, NREL and EMA continued to work with Cummins and Purdue for emissions testing system and whether to utilize the Cummins X-15 or the X-12. Efforts continuedon the B100 and diesel fuel supply with Solar Turbine. NBB continued to strengthen relations with key partner groups such as the National Renderers Association (NRA), NOPA (National Oilseed Processors Association), the USCA, and entities working to commercialize new oilseed feedstock. NBB is partnering with the National Renderers Association to assess animal fats, used cooking oil, and interceptor grease supplies. The National Biodiesel Board reviews research and journal articles as they are released for new, innovative technologies what may need to be considered for commercialization effort. To increase awareness on a national basis, NBBroutinely provides media interviews highlighting feedstock supplies in the US. A summary of feedstock supplies was also penned for the National Biodiesel Board Annual Report. The web-presence the National Biodiesel Board maintains through its family of websites continues to be the premier destination for finding biodiesel information on the internet. With more than half a million unique visitors each year to www.biodiesel.org and www.nbb.org, making sure content, information, and delivery mechanisms are current is a high priority of NBB communications programs. Pro Farmer family of newsletters, produces numerous live events, offers custom publishing services and provides extensive database services. Coordinated to put together an outreach strategy, implementing his LinkedIn presence to share personal LinkedIn blogs to be utilized for social promotion. Sent photo release language to NBB program managers who frequently coordinate member and industry events. Worked with NBB staff to build out our biodiesel stock image portfolio for future promotional use including social media content, magazine images, etc. Coordinated with program managers for the weekly Member Minute email reporting program updates and activities to the NBB membership. Worked on biodiesel Terms to Know with communications team, adding in prominent terms within the industry including OEMs, emissions, and other terms. Continued to provide daily news clips report on news coverage of the RFS and other biodiesel trending stories and recommended responses where appropriate. Updated social media across all platforms. NBB hosted Biodiesel 101: A Newcomers Guide to the Biodiesel Industry. This webinar was designed for newcomers to the biodiesel industry. NBB recently partnered with the National Association of Fleet Administrators and Karen Edwards' Biodiesel Alliance Project for a webinar that was presented to NAFA members. NBB staff hosted soybean leaders from around the country in Mid-Missouri. 'OEM - Gaining Support' effort also works cooperatively with the OEM technical, engineering, and regulatory departments to execute technical work that addresses issues or questions they have raised about biodiesel blends. The NBB both attended and held several workshops and training sessions this past fiscal year. The NBB has several ongoing partnerships and research projects with a number of vehicle and engine manufacturers. Ffforts focused on state efforts with California, Iowa, Illinois, and the Northeast. In Iowa, NBB technical reviewed the content and technical details of a proposed executive order directing all State of Iowa fleets to purchase only diesel vehicles that were supportive of B20. Coordinated with NBB, NEFI, NORA and Massachusetts Energy Marketers Association to help edit the dealer public service announcement titled "Situation, Solution & Strategy". Prepared, established and executed Bioheat Myth & Fact's workshops throughout the NY, PA & RI regions. Biofuel supply issues, education of policy makers, and interest in portfolio standards were the three most commonly cited themes in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Opened discussions with regional wholesalers to determine what thoughts they were having internally about the NEFI resolution, B50 by 2030. Organized and held a meeting with the leadership team of United Color Manufacturing. Sustainability was a key topic of this year's education meeting with the staff from the state soybean board. NBB will continue to work with stakeholders including state commodity groups, biodiesel producers, and environmental organizations to ensure that the sustainability benefits of biodiesel and renewable diesel are adequately quantified and ensure uninterrupted access to a growing market for biomass-based diesel as a cleaner fuel alternative. NBB participated by recognizing the history of the biodiesel industry, which coincidentally began with the same model of truck and engine. NBB is supporting new research at the State University of New York that will quantify the impact of reducing carbon emissions in the short term compared with longer range goals in the future. Biodiesel has the greatest greenhouse gas emission reduction of any liquid fuel, achieving carbon reductions between 50 and 86 percent. NBB recently participated in the School Transportation Network Expo in Indianapolis. More than 1,000 attendees made up of fleet managers, transportation directors, and fleet technicians were in attendance. Provided up to date information on carbon reduction benefits of biodiesel to NBB contractors who will use the information to share biodiesel's sustainability benefits through various platforms in order to promote the biodiesel foundation. Drafted content for the NBB Sustainability blog. ?Biodiesel Sustainability Site Traffic: Visits/Sessions: 560
Publications
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience include but not limited to: OEM's, Bioheat suppliers/dealers/consumers, the scientific community, Clean Cities Coordinators, biodiesel producers, feedstock providers, petroleum companies, fleet managers, pipeline companies, engine and vehicle manufactures, government agencies, as well as consumers and the general public who wish to learn more about biodiesel. Information will be provided through meetings, conferences, tradeshows, phone requests, website information, media relations, and the Biodiesel Technology Workshop and the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo. In addition, industry members will participate in the coordination and prioritization of efforts needed to move the industry forward by creating a level of understanding and acceptance among the other industry stakeholders. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?• Via email, brochures, family of websites and mobile apps, • Webinars • Conference calls • Annual conference • Tradeshows • And more... What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to engage all partner and collaborators vigorously. Develop all aspects of January 2019National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in San Diego, CA. Meet and confer with USDA staff, project managers, project partners, media and the researchers.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Track biodiesel usage in CY2018 of at least 2.3 billion gallons using 5 billion pounds of soybean oil. The final numbers of biodiesel and renewable diesel usage for 2017was 2.65billion gallons. In April (the latest complete monthly production numbers) 131,486,000 gallons of biodiesel was produced. For CY 2017 - 1,597,212,079 gallons of biodiesel have been produced. Conduct a successful 2018 Biodiesel Conference that helps address key issues and barriers to adoption of B20 blends by OEM' and fleet managers. NBB hosted the 2018 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo from January 23rd -25th in Ft. Worth, TX. Almost 800 people attended the conference. The annual conference has become a place to conduct business in the biodiesel industry so providing networking opportunities between petroleum interests and biodiesel producers will be a key focus. NBB has partnered with the National Biodiesel Foundation to secure funding from the European Biodiesel Board to conduct indirect land use change modeling for the European biodiesel market. The National Biodiesel Board maintains a reciprocal membership relationship with the U.S. Canola Association (USCA). Incorporating feedstock sources as a major topic of discussion at the 2018 Biodiesel Technical Workshop (BTW) organized by Mr. Steve Howell and hosted by the National Biodiesel Board. Supported NBB's communication efforts through distributions, marketing, and member outreach. Provided information for NBB staff presentation for the 2018 PACEshow Petroleum and Convenience Expo. Wrapped up Commodity Classic biodiesel contest. The Diesel Sellerz truck was highlighted by an article on the Truck Trend Network homepage, operators of Diesel Power Magazine, Work Truck Review, Truck Trend, and other well-known diesel enthusiast brands. Provided information to the United Soybean Board for the USB Weekly newsletter to farmers and stakeholders on recent USDA data on soybean oil utilization for biodiesel. NBB represented biodiesel at industry events across the country including the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach, the NAMA Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City, the NAFA Institute and Expo in Anaheim, the SIGMA Conference in Dallas, and more. NBB celebrated National Biodiesel Day with a slideshow of top 25 facts highlighting biodiesel. The NBB continues its outreach with each and every diesel fuel OEM. Over the last several months, the NBB has been involved with new industry groups such as the Fuels Institute to help develop programs to improve fuel quality across the country. The biodiesel industry has also begun discussion with several environmental and non-governmental organizations on the topic of co-processing. Co-processing is the method by which existing petroleum refineries use renewable feedstocks to produce a small mixture of renewable fuels within their petroleum fuels. Following the relatively recent announcements and outcomes of the international trade cases for the Biodiesel Fair Trade Coalition, U.S. Customs and the Department of Homeland Security reached out to the NBB for training on biodiesel quality. The BQ-9000 program has been proceeding well this year.At this time, over 92.0% of the biodiesel produced by NBB member companies falls under the BQ-9000 Producer program. Several additional organizations are proceeding with projects that will impact the biodiesel industry. The Coordinating Research Council (CRC) is in their final review of the protocol to investigate the severe tank corrosion affecting diesel fuel storage tanks. Other groups continuing to work on biodiesel related issues include the railroad industry through the Locomotive Maintenance Officers' Association (LMOA) and the American Association of Railroads (AAR). Efforts under this SEI TE project occurred on two fronts in California. With the technical success certifying the B20 NOx additive with CARB diesel with last year's program, which maintains B20 with the NOx additive as a legal fuel in California under the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard, NBB members expressed a desire for NBB to work with the California Air Resources Board, OEMs, and specification setting bodies to do the necessary work to secure approval and acceptance for blends over B20 in California. The highest possible biodiesel level was targeted, and emissions screening showed it could be possible for B40, potentially B50, to pass the NOx emissions test with additive levels already registered with EPA. The second major focus for SEI T&E efforts in Californiawas work with the California Water Board to allow treatment of B6-B20 in underground tanks to be the same as that of petrodiesel. The biodiesel industry has maintained good relationships and information sharing with leading environmental experts in the US, so that their positions uphold those of USEPA, CARB, USDA, and DOE when it comes to the environmental benefit of US-produced biodiesel. NBB has worked collaboratively with USDA, DOE, and Purdue University to update a comprehensive lifecycle analysis for biodiesel that will include direct and indirect GHG emissions. NBB has acquired updated lifecycle inventory data from the United Soybean Board and the National Oilseed Processors Association to quantify the energy and emissions associated with soybean farming and oilseed crushing, respectively. NBB also continues to work with experts, academics, and environmental leaders to better understand the role of biodiesel relative to other US crops, livestock production, and the consumption of food and feed. NBB and the National Biodiesel Foundation (NBF) have begun planning and extending invitations for the third biennial workshop on Sustainability and Land Use Change. Argonne National Laboratory is conducting a survey of water and energy use for biofuel production. NBB has a very good relationship with the lifecycle experts at Argonne, and they have asked NBB to distribute this survey to the membership. NBB has contracted with Purdue University to expand research in 5 high priority areas. The proposed research areas are: 1) Technological progress in crop and livestock sectors: Implications for sustainability, food and biofuel production; 2) Role of Conservation Reserves Program (CRP) in buffering biofuels induced land use change changes; 3) Extending the Corn-Soy Partial Equilibrium (CSPE) model developed at Purdue University; 4) Comparing GLOBIOM and GTAP-BIO models; and 5) Understanding GCAM model. Supported NBB's sustainability awareness efforts through education, discussion, and distributions. Worked with Women's Council on Energy & Environment (WCEE) newsletter on Argonne's new biodiesel lifecycle study. NBB participated in the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach, CA. NBB partnered with members Renewable Energy Group and Optimus Technologies to host a booth showcasing the Optimus truck from the National Biodiesel Conference. Biodiesel Sustainability Blog Site Traffic Unique Users: 699 Page Views: 1,050 Pages Per Session: 1.31 Twitter: 1,595 Following,1,394 Followers Facebook:14,381 People like the Page National Biodiesel Conference & Expo utilizes new social medium. For the first time, NBB utilized Snapchat filters to increase branding during the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo. The NBB communications team continually monitors and identifies environmental awards that provide opportunities to highlight the benefits of biodiesel and recognize NBB members, their customers and other biodiesel champions. NBB celebrated Earth Day by sharing posts across social media platforms.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience include but not limited to:OEM's, Bioheat suppliers/dealers/consumers, the scientific community, Clean Cities Coordinators, biodiesel producers, feedstock providers, petroleum companies, fleet managers, pipeline companies, engine and vehicle manufactures, government agencies, as well as consumers and the general public who wish to learn more about biodiesel. Information will be provided through meetings, conferences, tradeshows, phone requests, website information, media relations, and the Biodiesel Technology Workshop and the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo. In addition, industry members will participate in the coordination and prioritization of efforts needed to move the industry forward by creating a level of understanding and acceptance among the other industry stakeholders. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?• Via email, brochures, family of websites and mobile apps, • Webinars • Conference calls • Annual conference • Tradeshows • And more... What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to engage all partner and collaborators vigorously. Develop all aspectsof January 2018 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Ft Worth, TX. Meet and confer with USDA staff, project managers, project partners, media and the researchers.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Track biodiesel usage in CY2017 of at least 2.3 billion gallons using 5 billion pounds of soybean oil. The final numbers of biodiesel and renewable diesel usage for 2016 was 2.9 billion gallons. Production volumes for YTD2017 are 316,431,000 gallons. The National Biodiesel Board assisted the Nebraska Soybean Board, Kansas Soybean Commission and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council to once again sponsor the PACE show. The National Biodiesel Board hosted the ASTM D02 Spring Officers' meeting. The ASTM officers were provided the opportunity to speak with the NBB's new CEO, Donnell Rehagen, to better understand the NBB's role within the fuels industry and the role that ASTM has played over the years. The Biodiesel industry has been successful in developing ASTM specifications for biodiesel (D6751), transportation diesel fuel blends up to 5% within D975, blends from B6-B20 within D7467, and the heating oil specifications which include biodiesel blends up to B20 in D396. The NBB has completed an initial phase of a project to develop an additive to address NOx emissions. This project consisted of combing through existing research and technical papers to determine what had been previously tested and accomplished. The second phase of this project recently completed last month, was the completion of the screening work at SwRI. During this phase, the NBB had narrowed a short potential list of additives to be tested. The CARB protocols require a specific California diesel reference fuel formulation, along with strict requirements on the biodiesel that could be used. If successful, based upon meeting these fuel requirements, the additive will be approved to mitigate NOx emissions for all B20 blends with any biodiesel samples. The third phase will begin in April as the NBB proceeds with the certification protocol. Upon completion, if successful, the industry will await CARB's review of the data and pending approval to move towards B20 blends in California. Based upon existing data and results, a NOx mitigated B20 in the state of California would be the cleanest diesel fuel with the lowest emissions profile available anywhere in the U.S. NBB's Shelby Neal and expert contractors that help support the State Energy Initiatives effort under the direction of Mr. Neal.During the work with CARB, Southwest Research Institute, and fuel suppliers occurred on the testing to certify a NOx additive for biodiesel blends over B5 in California. The New York efforts were successful with final passage of bioheat usage requirements in New York City requiring B5 in 2017, B10 in 2025, B15 in 2030, and B20 in 2034. Effortswere primarily focused on additional activity in California on the B20 NOx testing and impending underground tank regulations, follow-up efforts in Minnesota on B20 implementation questions, and work with Oregon on biodiesel specifications under that states low carbon fuel initiative. Efforts with the CARB project to certify a NOx reducing additive kicked into high gear this reporting period. All of the biodiesel, CARB 48 cetane/10% aromatic reference diesel, and NOx additives were received at SwRI, tested and blended to produce the B20/additive combination for certification. The 1991 Series 60 Detroit Diesel engine was installed in a transient emissions test cell at SwRI in April and the 21 repeat emissions tests with both the B20/additive and the CARB reference diesel fuel in the alternating sequence specified in the California Code were conducted. SwRI used this exact same Detroit Diesel Series 60 diesel engine to certify almost all the CARB petrodiesel that is currently in use in the California market today, so this testing represents highly technically credible data. This testing will be the basis for a request for additive approval by NBB to CARB next reporting period. Also in California, the California Water Board conducted a workshop which outlined their proposed adoption of the relatively recently issued (July 2015) Underground Storage Tank (UST) regulations and guidelines for new alternative fuels. In the new EPA regulation, the first to update UST's in general since 1988, UST's for B20 and below are to be treated the same as those for petrodiesel while additional approvals or documentation are needed for storing/holding blends over B20. This is largely based on the fact ASTM standards for B20 were established in 2008, and existing testing data as well as field experience with B20 and lower blends meeting the most recent ASTM standards has sufficiently demonstrated B20 performance to be similar to, if not better than, conventional ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. This puts B20 in the diesel market in a similar regulatory position as E10 is in the gasoline market.The California Water Board, however, is considering treating biodiesel differently and more harshly than EPA, and is proposing the cut-off for the need for additional approval and notifications being at any level over B5 rather than any level over B20. In Oregon, thestate seeks to implement their low carbon fuel initiative. As part of the negotiations with some foreign OEMs on the biodiesel section of Oregon's low carbon fuel legislation, more stringent specifications for biodiesel and biodiesel blends were implemented than are currently required by ASTM. ASG's Jennifer Weaver attended theNational Farm Machinery Showin Louisville, KYto meet and network with OEMs in the off-road Ag and Equipment market. At the National Farm Machinery Show meetings and discussions occurred with 40 different OEMs, fleets, and key trade organizations/member companies to continue to foster greater use of and support for B20 biodiesel blends. The Work Truck Show, North America's largest work truck event, is produced annually by NTEA - The Association for the Work Truck Industry. The 2017 Show was heldat the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. Work Truck Show and Green Truck Summit educational sessions. Named one of the top 100 trade shows in the U.S., The Work Truck Show annually brings together more than 11,000 truck equipment distributors, truck dealers and fleet managers from around the world. In addition to educational sessions, it features the newest vocational trucks, vans, vehicle components and equipment from more than 500 exhibitors on an exhibit floor covering more than 500,000 square feet. The National Biodiesel Board was among the exhibitors. ASG's Jennifer Weaver represented the National Biodiesel Board at the 2017 National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) Institute & Expo, which took placein Tampa, FL. NAFA brings together the nation's largest gathering of fleet managers. The biodiesel industry has maintained good relationships and information sharing with leading environmental experts in the US, so that their positions uphold those of USEPA, CARB, USDA, and DOE when it comes to the environmental benefit of US-produced biodiesel. NBB has worked collaboratively with USDA, DOE, and Purdue University to update a comprehensive lifecycle analysis for biodiesel that will include direct and indirect GHG emissions. NBB has acquired updated lifecycle inventory data from the United Soybean Board and the National Oilseed Processors Association to quantify the energy and emissions associated with soybean farming and oilseed crushing, respectively. NBB also continues to work with experts, academics, and environmental leaders to better understand the role of biodiesel relative to other US crops, livestock production, and the consumption of food and feed. NBB assisted with the Jefferson City National Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Day Odyssey. Alan Weber met with Dr. Lu at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, OH. Dr. Lu and her research program have investigated the production of biodiesel from coffee grounds via in situ methods.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience(s) include but are not limited to: petroleum companies, engine companies, OEM's, Bioheat suppliers/dealers/consumers, the scientific community, pipeline companies, government agencies, Clean Cities Coordinators, the Biodiesel Backer and Alliance program, and universities. This projects work is a collaborative effort between the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), University of Idaho, USB, QSSBs and the general Industry in order to maximize project efforts and education. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Via email, brochures, family of websites and mobile apps, Webinars Conference calls Annual conference Tradeshows And more... What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to engage all partners and collaborators vigorously. Develop all aspects of our January 2017 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in San Diego, CA. Meet and confer with USDA staff, University of Idaho staff, project partners and the media.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
For CY2015 the industry produced/tolled/purchased 1,605,567,000 gallons. For the first three months of CY2016, the industry has produced/tolled/purchased 347,538,000 gallons of biodiesel. NBB hosted the Biodiesel Technical Workshop held to garner input from OEM's, petroleum refiners, universities, biodiesel producers and feedstock providers on what technical priorities need to be addressed in 2017. The results from the workshop where inputted into the program planning process. There were several state biodiesel initiatives this reporting period that were supported by this State Energy Initiatives Technical and Economic Support project. In California, a Real World Emissions workshop was held in March. With the recent VW emissions defeat scandal, monitoring of 'real world' emissions in the field may take on additional importance. Several presentations on both biodiesel and petrodiesel emissions from the conference were reviewed to determine potential impacts on biodiesel and a conference call held with the NBB California team. At this point in time, the information does not appear to have significant impact on biodiesel, but NBB will continue to monitor this area in the future. In preparation for the California Biodiesel Alliance meeting early in the reporting period, M4 reviewed the latest status efforts regarding biodiesel specifications for blend levels over B20 with both Roxyby Hartley of Agron Biodiesel in California as well as with the lead National Conference of Weights and Measures (NCWM) fuel representative from California Mr. Allan Morrison of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Efforts earlier in the year by both Agron and CDFA to investigate official specifications for blends over B20 have been largely put on hold in favor of more complete adopting of B20 and lower blends in California. Timely information was provided to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment on biodiesel as part of deliberations in Connecticut to support biodiesel as well to review proposed changes to the NCWM rules in Oregon during this reporting period. In Minnesota, M4 provided a review of information and technical suggestions for Minnesota Soybean on an article being drafted regarding using B20 and higher blends as well as information on the status of biodiesel with No. 1 petrodiesel in Minnesota for the NBB DC office as part of the effort to defend the use of B20 and lower blends in Minnesota. Also related to Minnesota, M4 followed up with the NBB Mercedes contact regarding an article that occurred in the trade press stating Mercedes was supporting B100 in vehicles in India. The US Mercedes contact indicated the India Mercedes representative was misquoted and that Mercedes did not announce support for B100 in India. Lastly, significant activity occurred to support state biodiesel initiative efforts in New York. Early in the reporting period Steve Howell worked with Shelby Neal to provide timely information to NBB New York City about cold flow impacts of palm oil based biodiesel as they consider higher biodiesel blends in New York. In April, M4's Steve Howell joined NBB's Shelby Neal, Scott Fenwick and Don Scott in meetings with various stakeholders in New York City as the city contemplates moving to higher blends of biodiesel in the city. Having the national technical and sustainability experts answer questions and concerns regarding higher blends with decision makers in New York was seen as critical at the city considers use of more low carbon biodiesel. Planning for our participation on behalf of the National Biodiesel Board in three major OEM/Dealer/Fleet focused trade shows in Spring of 2016: the NADA/ATD Dealer Convention in early April, the NAFA Fleet Institute & Expo in late April, and the ACT Expo in early May. Attended the 2016 National Automobile Dealers Association / American Truck Dealers (NADA/ATD) Convention in Las Vegas on March 31 - April 3, 2016 to meet with and provide biodiesel training resources to the numerous OEM Dealer networks present at this convention. Considered the "Automotive Industry Event of the Year," the 2016 NADA Convention & Expo hit a record attendance level at over 26,000 attendees and included dealer-manufacturer franchise meetings, new educational workshops for dealers, managers and allied industry professionals, and hundreds of contacts to be made on the expo floor with NADA dealer members and staff. While at NADA, Jennifer met with and provided biodiesel industry and technical updates to 9 different OEM organizations and their dealer networks, including: Ford, Subaru, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Mitsubishi Fuso, Cummins, Isuzu Commercial Truck, American Luxury Coach and Toyota. She also distributed nearly 100 of the new 2016 Biodiesel Training Toolkits to the OEMs and Dealers she met with at the show. Jennifer also met with the editors of major automotive / dealer trade publications including Fixed Ops, Automotive News, Wards Auto Dealer Business and Edmunds.com to discuss opportunities to feature biodiesel in upcoming issues of their publications. Finally, and most importantly, Jennifer met with the NADA staff to discuss opportunities to feature a webinar on biodiesel in the NADA University Online curriculum that is a major part of many auto dealers' required Continuing Education training. Based on favorable feedback and encouragement from the NADA/ATD staff, Jennifer plans to submit a webinar presentation for their review and hopeful placement within the NADA University online curriculum in the coming months. Organized NBB's participation in the 2016 National Association of Fleet Administrators Institute & Expo (NAFA I&E) in a highly desirable booth space (#525) in the Green Zone of the exhibit hall. The NAFA convention took place on April 19-22, 2016 in Austin, TX, and represented the industry's largest gathering of fleet managers, making it an excellent opportunity for NBB to influence and network with key biodiesel fleet users and prospects. Jennifer prepared and sent out another 100 of the Biodiesel Training Toolkit materials for distribution at NAFA, and Kevin Herdler and Cody Graham staffed the NBB booth at the conference. NBB attendedthe Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, which took place May 2-5, 2016 in Long Beach, CA. We worked with the ACT show organizers to secure biodiesel speakers within the conference curriculum and to recognize outstanding biodiesel-powered fleets, including Mr. Keith Kerman - Chief Fleet Officer for New York City and an avid user of biodiesel in their fleet of over 28,000 vehicles. We also secured a 10x30' booth space for NBB in partnership with NBB member Renewable Energy Group (REG) on the ACT Expo show floor, and worked with General Motors to secure a 2016 GMC Canyon diesel pickup for display in the booth. Booth traffic was steady over the course of the 4-day event, and we met with nearly 200 visitors to the booth including fleets, OEMs, dealers, Clean Cities Coordinators and other industry suppliers and stakeholders. We distributed over 150 Biodiesel Training Toolkits to interested attendees and received very positive feedback on the information and resources provided. In addition, NBB representatives Jennifer Weaver and Jenna Higgins-Rose hosted a dinner meeting with 8 Clean Cities Coordinators during the ACT Expo week to provide them with the latest information and updates on the biodiesel industry to encourage and equip them to host more biodiesel events in their regions. And more...
Publications
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Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project will be biodiesel producers, feedstock providers, petroleum companies, fleet managers, pipeline companies, engine and vehicle manufactures, government agencies, as well as consumers and the general public who wish to learn more about biodiesel. Information will be provided through meetings, conferences, tradeshows, phone requests, website information, media relations, and the Biodiesel Technology Workshop and the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo. In addition, industry members will participate in the coordination and prioritization of efforts needed to move the industry forward by creating a level of understanding and acceptance among the other industry stakeholders. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two (2) Biodiesel for Diesel Technician sessions have been conducted thus far, and two more are scheduled to be completed in September. Feedback from the diesel technicians and instructors who have attended the sessions has been overwhelmingly positive, and the information presented helped to clear up confusion with many of the mechanics on the overall technical status of biodiesel in the OEM community (ASTM specifications for B20 were approved in 2008, over 80% of OEMs now support B20 in their new equipment) and about the overall societal benefits of biodiesel on greenhouse gases, sustainability, and the overall food supply. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Key activity to identify market & research barriers and raise the awareness level regarding fats and oils included: Presenting at the Biodiesel Technical Workshop in October 2014.Feedstock development ranked in the top 5 priorities as voted by BTW participants. Alan Weber, M4, serves on the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Participation at an invite only workshop on pennycress.This meeting was designed for sharing collective knowledge and discussion plans for, and challenges to, advancing commercial plans for pennycress. Representing the biodiesel industry as an associate member of the U.S. Canola Association. To increase awareness on a national basis, M4 managed a session at the National Biodiesel Board Annual Conference in January, 2015 in Ft. Worth, TX on feedstock development. Throughout the contract period, our outreach team interfaced with several hundred distributors sharing fact based knowledge about biodiesel best business practices. Our engagement occurred in many forms, such as webinars, field visits, board meetings, tradeshows/conferences, teleconferences, newsletters, online portals and countless one-on-one personal exchanges. Through this collective investment in engagement activities, we significantly increased the knowledge of a growing petroleum supply chain wishing to integrate biodiesel into their products offering. Building stronger relationship with the supply chain has provided biodiesel stakeholders with strategic insight allowing for expeditious and broad based deployment of biodiesel throughout an expansive national network of terminals. Another milestone in this contract period was that the state of Rhode Island passed legislation adopting a B2 Bioheat mandate in July 2014, with higher blends each year until they reach 5%. Through Google Analytics studies, our Bioheat® Consumer Advertising Campaign this year surpassed last years by 56%. That is, we have had a 56% increase of hits to www.bioheatonline.com than we did last year. As the 2014-2015 Bioheat® consumer advertising program closes, stakeholder investments in this area have generated over 30,000 visitors to www.bioheatonline.com, (85%) of those being unique visitors. The sites dealer locator page had 6,300 visits which indicated consumers were trying to locate a fuel dealer to discuss and purchase Bioheat®. The television and radio spots totaled 6,491 which generated over 36 million impressions in just 12 weeks. We are expecting a continued increase in impressions as our partners at I Heart Media are keeping Bioheat® in front of consumers until the summer months. Number of impressions delivered this year have and will continue to surpass last year's campaign. To date in FY2015, 62 biodiesel briefing meetings have been conducted with a total of 24 different OEMs to provide them with the latest industry developments on biodiesel to encourage their new or continued support for B20 biodiesel blends. NBB attended and exhibited at the 2014 Green Fleet Conference & Expo and the 2015 NTEA Work Truck Show and Green Truck Summit. NBB also updated and published new diesel vehicle information in the 2015 U.S. Diesel Vehicles List on the NBB website and in the 2015 Biodiesel Training Toolkit. NBB also secured 2015 National Biodiesel Conference sponsorships and participation from John Deere, Ford Motor Co., Volkswagen and Hino Trucks. We have been pleased to learn from nearly every OEM when questioned that there are no significant failures being reported by consumers related to the use of biodiesel meeting the current specifications. The recent approval of the new BQ-9000 program for Retailers should help to promote and educate consumers on the true benefits of using biodiesel, while helping retail managers understand the outcomes of effective storage tank maintenance on the fuel properties. This project communicates accurate biodiesel sustainability information to key audiences and provides balance to myths surrounding soy use, production agriculture and biodiesel. It plays a critical role to maintain biodiesel's positive perception as a desirable energy alternative. That is important because it creates a foundation of agriculture sustainability that opens doors to expanded biodiesel use as well as to other bio-products. Some quick highlights for this year we hosted a webinar timed with World Food Day to provide talking points and messaging direction in conjunction with WISHH. As NBB has improved the science involved with lifecycle analysis and international land use change we have used these resources to push back against false claims. As just one example in February alone, we worked proactively to coordinate with industry partners and stakeholders to ensure they have access to any tools, resources and information we assemble. We were successful to secure response letters in several media outlets, such as the Tyler Telegraph and reached out to reporters covering the topics including holding a meeting with the New York Times editorial ream members. Attended 33 key events such as; National Farm Broadcasters Annual Meeting, Midwest Petroleum and Convenience Store Conference, and Commodity Classic. Responded to 39 information request. Assisted biodiesel producers, marketers, and feedstock providers' industry information. Worked with industry stakeholders to develop the 2016 Program Plan for the National Biodiesel Board. NBB hosted the 2015 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo January 20st - 22nd in Ft. Worth, TX. Over 900 people attended the conference to learn more about regulatory, technical issues and marketing opportunities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Through the next year NBB will continue to harness an historic record of research, fact-based success and expertise to execute the outlined priorities: Enhance current efforts to collect and disseminate biodiesel information. Coordinate with other biodiesel educational or promotional programs. Create a nationwide networking system to deliver biodiesel information to targeted audiences. Identify and document the benefits of biodiesel. Address information gaps regarding biodiesel education. Define biodiesel markets and unique, or uniquely related communications opportunities. Build measurable and practical indicators of progress.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project ensures there is one central source for biodiesel information in the U.S. and that USDA messages are integrated into that dialogue. It plays a critical role to represent biodiesel and agriculture interests in a range of settings from media inquiries to stakeholder meetings and online to tradeshow events. That is important because coordination among varied organizations and interests works to amplify messages to achieve both economy of scale and strength in repetition and no single group can achieve alone what this project makes possible in unison. Interestingly news coverage of biofuels and biodiesel has decreased over the last five years. In that same time frame, even though overall references to biodiesel have dropped, references of biodiesel in the context of "advanced biofuel" have moved up. This is a clear demonstration that we are successfully positioning biodiesel in the current energy climate. Notable and new this year was the biodiesel tanker accident in DC and our team's quick reaction placed our safety, handling and benefits talking points directly in the hands of some 25 top news outlets immediately following the news outlets. These points were repeated on all cable news outlets. Another notable victory is that About.com did a series on biodiesel answering "What is biodiesel?" etc. Like Wikipedia, this is a significant search engine resource for web browsers. The 2014 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo was an astounding success. Nearly 1000 industry leaders joined us in Texas for three days of education, information and networking. This project helps support staff time at the conference and is the foundation to set the stage and handle logistics for the General Sessions. More than a dozen members of the media attended the event. Six participated in an intimate on the record discussion with CEO Joe Jobe, including two local reporters. The team also handled an average of three news releases and advisories daily during the event. Through our coordination effort we provided biodiesel input to USB's production that resulted in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFHMV-n4MyA As of June 2015 746,790,000 gallons of biodiesel has been produced/tolled/purchased in calendar year 2015. The NBB continues to develop the biodiesel industry by working to improve market confidence through improvements to fuel quality. The NBB works with all aspects of the fuel distribution system to promote and engage participants on improving relevant standards and quality management systems. NBB's Sustainability Analysis program seeks to define the sustainability benefits of biodiesel by quantifying impacts on land use, the food supply, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Through this project, NBB has improved the reliability and the accuracy of lifecycle analysis and the integration of economic modeling used to predict international land use change. Work continues to better quantify the response by farmers to increase yield and efficiency on existing farm acres in response to demand or price signals brought on by changes in biofuels and food demand. Work also continues developing more accurate inventories of available farm land world-wide. To date, these efforts have resulted in significant reduction in predicted emissions from land use change as a result of biodiesel demand. Analysis shows that adequate feedstocks exist to expand the production and use of biodiesel in the US. Biodiesel significantly reduces GHG emissions by displacing petroleum and provides economic benefits while enhancing the food supply with essential protein coproducts. The California Air Resources Board has adopted some of these modeling improvements resulting in a 50 percent reduction in the GHG penalty previously adopted to represent indirect land use change. Future work will focus on quantifying the calorie needs for a growing population and quantifying the excess fats and carbohydrates that are co-produced when we grow protein to feed the world. This project communicates accurate biodiesel sustainability information to key audiences and provides balance to myths surrounding soy use, production agriculture and biodiesel. It plays a critical role to maintain biodiesel's positive perception as a desirable energy alternative. That is important because it creates a foundation of agriculture sustainability that opens doors to expanded biodiesel use as well as to other bio-products. Some quick highlights for this year we hosted a webinar timed with World Food Day to provide talking points and messaging direction in conjunction with WISHH. As NBB has improved the science involved with lifecycle analysis and international land use change we have used these resources to push back against false claims. As just one example in February alone, we worked proactively to coordinate with industry partners and stakeholders to ensure they have access to any tools, resources and information we assemble. We were successful to secure response letters in several media outlets, such as the Tyler Telegraph and reached out to reporters covering the topics including holding a meeting with the New York Times editorial ream members. Our second most popular Facebook post this year was the infographic of the greenhouse gas emissions reduced over the last ten years due to the use of biodiesel created and distributed on National Biodiesel Day. This post reached 10,940 people, was liked 88 times and was shared 83 times. This program will update targeted training programs, conduct strategic planning sessions, and provide updates for a consortium of OEM departments to foster greater corporate support for B20 among OEM executives through briefing meetings, presenting/exhibiting at major conferences, and updating the NBB web site with up-to-date information on B20 vehicles and OEM support. Increase awareness and acceptance of biodiesel and specifically Bioheat® fuel amongst consumers that include: residential, commercial and industrial consumer segmentation. The overall goal of the efforts of the Bioheat Technical Steering Committee (BTSC) is to address technical issues needed for approval of blends up to B20 and begin investigations on approvals for higher blends. These efforts are coordinated the diverse set of industries and stakeholders on the BTSC and serve to provide the technical basis for joint education efforts of the NBB and various entities in the heating oil industry. Develop and share accurate biodiesel industry information with the petroleum supply chain responsible to delivering biodiesel and blends of diesel and heating oil into market. It is essential as the biodiesel industry continues to mature to interface with both biodiesel and petroleum organizations to minimize barriers that would prohibit biodiesel from succeeding in the supply chain. The National Biodiesel Board's feedstock effort is centered on quantifying the impacts of increased biodiesel production, forecasting feedstock supplies, identification of existing market & research barriers, leveraging existing relationships with feedstock organizations, and assisting groups with their research programs for near and mid-term feedstock sources. The NBB's Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified Biodiesel for Diesel Technicians program equips diesel technicians with knowledge to correctly identify issues that are not related to biodiesel operation and also prompts technicians to inform their customers of the premium properties biodiesel has to offer for their equipment while providing Continuing Education Units (CEUs) at the same time.
Publications
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