Soy Oil Delivers Another Use: Heat

NYC depends on renewable fuel throughout the year

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Feb 07, 2012, 01:47 ET

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- New York City looks a little greener these days thanks in part to biodiesel. This renewable, soy-based fuel powers Big Apple vehicles, furnaces and generators year-round and can be found throughout the city from Central Park to John F. Kennedy Airport.

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The New York Parks Department uses a B20 blend of biodiesel when fueling diesel vehicles and generators, as well as replacing the oil heat for warming their buildings. The department has used strictly B20 in these applications for nearly two and a half years.

New York City's sometimes progressive mindset coupled with its frigid winters also helped make it a big focus for a new soy oil market: Bioheat^®. This heat source combines home heating oil with biodiesel, resulting in a renewable, cleaner-burning fuel.

"Biofuels are welcomed in this part of the world and embraced by home heating oil representatives," says Lewis Bainbridge, a soybean farmer from Ethan, S.D., and farmer-director for United Soybean Board. "Everyone is working together to promote Bioheat."

The home heating oil industry itself took proactive action to implement biodiesel into their systems, replacing petroleum with the cleaner burning fuel. They resolved to use Bioheat blends of B2 to B5 and proved to be instrumental in passing a New York City law that requires that all home heating oil contain 2 percent Bioheat by October 2012. They also plan to increase their Bioheat percentage even more in the future.

Through Bioheat, soybean farmers can help home heating oil customers achieve freedom from foreign oil. Soy oil's consistent supply will help home heating oil marketers reach their goals of cleaner burning heating fuel.

"This is an exciting market for our soybeans," adds Bainbridge. "As soybean farmers, we hope to help the heating oil industry meet their aggressive goals."

Providing the oil to meet these demands shouldn't be a problem. Biodiesel production broke many records in 2011, and biodiesel's availability continues to increase. The Environmental Protection Agency's Renewable Fuel Standard 2 requires that at least 1 billion gallons be produced in 2012.

USB is made up of 69 farmer-directors who oversee the investments of the soybean checkoff on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers. Checkoff funds are invested in the areas of animal utilization, human utilization, industrial utilization, industry relations, market access and supply. As stipulated in the Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soybean checkoff.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org

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CONTACT: Erin Hamm or Jon Butler at Osborn & Barr Communications, 888-235-4332. For a digital version of this news release, see the "Media Center" section of the USB website at www.unitedsoybean.org.

SOURCE United Soybean Board