The soybean checkoff-funded National Biodiesel Board (NBB) offers biodiesel manufacturers and marketers the opportunity to participate in a program to carry out an effective soy biodiesel quality management system. All soy biodiesel manufacturers are encouraged to contact NBB to participate in the quality-control program, BQ-9000.

Biodiesel is America’s first and currently only energy source to earn the title of Advanced Biofuel by EPA and federal standards.  Biodiesel may be used as a pure fuel or as a blend with petroleum based diesel fuel.  Any blend containing up 20% biodiesel may be used in almost any commercial diesel engine with no modification to the engine, providing horsepower, torque, and fuel economy comparable to petrodiesel.  Because biodiesel is an organic compound, it does not contain elements that form harmful emissions such as sulfur.  This makes biodiesel and biodiesel blends a cleaner burning alternative to petrodiesel.  Biodiesel also acts as a better lubricant than petrodiesel, reducing wear on an engine.  Even biodiesel blends as low as 2% can add 60% more lubricity to fuel compared with petrodiesel.

Nearly half of all soybean farmers use biodiesel or a biodiesel blend in their equipment. The soybean checkoff is working to spread biodiesel use to all farmers. If every farmer and rancher used just a 2% biodiesel blend, 70 million gallons of pure biodiesel would be used annually.  This is equivalent to 48 million bushels of soybeans annually.  Farmers will not only be experiencing the benefits of biodiesel, but will be helping to sustain a demand for the crops they raise.