Clean Fuels Alliance America

Frequently Asked Questions

Name Change

Why did the National Biodiesel Board change its name?

Our new name “Clean Fuels Alliance America” better reflects what we do today and why. After many years of successfully building the biodiesel industry, we and our members are connecting people to accelerate America’s clean fuels future through the creation, production and distribution of new types of clean fuels that complement biodiesel including renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel that will help leaders in more industries reduce their impact on the environment and improve health now as compared to traditional petroleum diesel.

Why did the organization choose Clean Fuels Alliance America as its new name?

The words “clean” and “fuels” define what our members produce in a very straightforward way.

The word “alliance” signals our unity and demonstrates that our organization connects people who benefit from our expertise, relationships and innovation to create smart solutions through teamwork. We stand together with allies from business, government and environmental groups to advance the clean fuels industry in sometimes provocative ways to strengthen our ability to inspire dynamic change for our customers and the nation.

“America” reflects our focus on improving and expanding the supply of clean fuels in the United States. Our products are made primarily from domestic sources that provide effective, scalable carbon solutions now and generate job growth and a better quality of life for citizens in communities across the country.

What does this change mean for the biodiesel industry?

Clean Fuels Alliance America is committed to connecting people with the talent and expertise to solve tough fueling challenges facing our modern, mobile world. Biodiesel will continue to be a critical clean fuel in America’s energy mix moving forward. We will actively promote the use of biodiesel with key stakeholders and continue to educate OEMs, regulators and others about the performance benefits of biodiesel through our successful technical program.

Clean Energy

What is clean energy?

Clean energy is energy that comes from renewable sources that significantly reduces emissions, as well as energy saved by energy efficiency measures. There is a degree of crossover between clean energy and renewable energy sources, but they are not exactly the same. Renewable energy is derived from sources that can naturally replenish themselves --- wind and sun are the two most obvious examples --- while clean energy encompasses all low-carbon energy sources.

What are clean fuels?

Clean fuels are fuels that produce much lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional fuels on a life-cycle basis. Clean fuels are produced from a variety of feedstocks and can be used to power various sectors.

Biodiesel

What is biodiesel?

Biodiesel is the name given to a clean-burning alternative to diesel fuel. It is produced from a broad range of renewable resources, including soybean oil, animal fats and recycled cooking grease. Biodiesel is the first and only EPA-designated advanced biofuel in commercial-scale production across the country and can be used in existing diesel engines without modification. Biodiesel can be used alone or blended with petroleum diesel in any proportion.

What is the difference between biodiesel and renewable diesel?

Biodiesel is a diesel fuel replacement made from excess renewable fats and oils. Using a production process known as transesterification, these feedstocks are converted into a class of compounds known as fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) (refer to the definition above). Renewable diesel is a fuel that utilizes the same renewable feedstocks used to produce biodiesel, with a production process more like diesel fuel production. These processes yield compounds that are chemically indistinguishable from petroleum diesel fuel. While these two fuels are distinctly different, each offers performance improvements over the use of petroleum, such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50%.

Renewable Energy

What is renewable energy?

Renewable energy is energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.

What is renewable diesel?

Renewable diesel is a biomass-based diesel fuel. It can be produced from cellulosic biomass materials such as crop residues, wood and sawdust, and switchgrass, and it qualifies as an advanced biofuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.

Sustainable Energy

What is sustainable energy?

Sustainable energy is derived from resources that can maintain current operations without jeopardizing the energy needs or climate of future generations. The most popular sources of sustainable energy, including wind, solar and hydropower, are also renewable.

What is sustainable aviation fuel?

Sustainable aviation fuel is produced from sustainable feedstocks and is very similar in its chemistry to traditional fossil jet fuel. Using sustainable aviation fuel results in a reduction in carbon emissions compared with the traditional jet fuel it replaces over the life cycle of the fuel.

The Future of Clean Fuels is Here

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The new Clean Fuels Alliance America is the globe's leading producer of renewable fuels.

With Industry-leading programs and initiatives, Clean Fuels Alliance America is actively moving the fuel industry upwards toward a greener and brighter future.

Connecting people to accelerate America's clean fuels future

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Quick Stats

Using Biodiesel instead of petroleum-based fuels reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 86%.

Biodiesel is the nation's first domestically produced, commercially available advanced biofuel.

3.5 units of renewable energy are returned for every unit of fossil energy it takes to produce biodiesel.

The use of biodiesel over petroleum-based fuels reduces hydrocarbon emissions by 67%.

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