NBB, Advocates Cite Biodiesel as Global Warming Solution

John Davis

biodiesel cycle
The National Biodiesel Board released a fact sheet today that shows how biodiesel is part of the solution to global warming.

The NBB has received the support of some heavy hitters such as U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who says biofuels like biodiesel are part of the answer as Congress takes on climate change policy. U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary for Science Raymond L. Orbach named biodiesel in his Congressional testimony and said, “And these technologies will help us to be better stewards of the environment, and they will help us confront the serious challenge of global climate change.”

Plus, some major environmental groups, such as Environmental Defense and the Union of Concerned Scientists, cite biodiesel as having the potential to contribute greatly against climate change.

NBB logo But the board is using more than celebrity endorsements, giving some facts it has gathered:

* Since growing oilseeds like soybeans to produce the oil takes up carbon dioxide, biodiesel has a closed carbon cycle, dramatically reducing CO2.
* Biodiesel from oilseeds like soybeans provides a 78% life cycle decrease in CO2 emissions when compared to petroleum diesel fuel.
* Biodiesel produced from soybeans grown in the U.S. produces a 3.24 to 1 positive life cycle energy balance, beginning with bare ground and counting all inputs for growing, harvesting, processing and transportation, according to an analysis jointly conducted by the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture.