The EPA’s new rules are enforceable under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) which established the second phase of the Renewable Fuel Standards program. The EISA already specifies a one billion gallon minimum volume requirement for the biomass-based diesel category for 2012 and beyond, so the EPA’s slight requirement increase shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise to the diesel industry.

Biodiesel is a non-petroleum fuel typically made from fats or oils such as soybean oil, but it can also be derived from waste vegetable oils. According to the National Biodiesel Board, it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend, and can be used in existing vehicles with diesel engines with little or no modifications.

The move is good news for states like Iowa that depend on the biodiesel industry to buy up their soybean crops. Currently Iowa is the country’s largest producer of biodisel with 13 dedicated facilities and the capacity to produce 320 million gallons on its own every year. Yet, some are still doubtful that using food crops for fuel production is a good use of America’s agricultural capabilities, and there have been questions about whether or not biodiesel is really a cleaner-burning fuel. And, of course, the petroleum industry is unhappy, having previously claimed that the EPA’s mandate makes it more expensive to produce diesel, a cost that’s ultimately passed on to the consumer.

Still, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack seems optimistic that the move will be good for the economy: ”Over the past three years, we have doubled generation from renewable energy and [this] announcement by the EPA will ensure that we are continuing to utilize biodiesel to help meet our energy needs, create jobs and strengthen the rural economy,” he said.

Photo credit: Frontpage/Shutterstock

The post EPA Sets 1.28B Gallon Biodiesel Requirement for 2013 appeared first on REVMODO.

Goodyear is currently testing tires partially made from the oil of soybeans and is finding that the new tires seem to have a longer tread life than their conventional petroleum counterpart. If the company’s research holds up in the real world, tires made with soybean oil should last 10 percent longer than today’s tires, reducing the amount of oil we would need to dredge up for the some 1 billion tires manufactured each year. Goodyear believes that the new tires could reduce oil consumption by 7 million gallons per year, and are hoping for a sellable version to be ready by 2015.

The company has also found that because the soybean oil is easier to blend into the tires, its factories require less energy to operate. This would improve plant energy efficiency while reducing the amount of oil needed for production.

“Goodyear is committed to caring for the environment and communities, and use of soybean oil is proving to be another way to accomplish this goal,” said Jean-Claude Kihn, Goodyear’s chief technical officer. “Consumers benefit through improved tread life, Goodyear gains with increased efficiency and energy savings and we all win whenever there is a positive impact on the environment.”

And as what may not come as a surprise, Goodyear’s research is being funded with $500,000 from the United Soybean Board. But if the soybeans can be grown and harvested sustainably, I am all for the development of soybean-oil-based automotive tires. Almost anything that gets off of fossil fuels is forward progress in my book.

[via Innovation News Daily]

Image Credit: Beige Alert/Flickr

The post Goodyear Developing Tires Made From Soybean Oil appeared first on REVMODO.