Biofuels production in the USA increased in February, with gains for ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel and associated fuels, according to US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data reported by SAF Magazine.
Total feedstock consumption was up slightly when compared to the same period the previous year, the 2 May report said.
Total biofuels capacity reached 22.718bn gallons/year (85.996bn litres/year) in February, up 509M gallons/year (1.9bn litres/year) compared to the 22.209bn gallons/year (84.070bn litres/year) of capacity the previous month and an increase of 1.595bn gallons/year (6.03bn litres/year) compared to last February’s total of 21.123bn gallons/year (79.95bn litres/year).
Biodiesel production stood at 2.063bn gallons/year (7.7bn litres/year) in February, up 12M gallons/year (45.42M litres/year) compared to the previous month, but down 169M gallons/year (639.7M litres/year) compared to the same period last year.
Production of renewable diesel and associated fuels - including renewable heating oil, renewable jet fuel, renewable naphtha, renewable gasoline and other biofuels and bio-intermediates - reached 3.26bn gallons/year (12.34bn litres/year) in February, up 321M gallons/year (1.2bn litres/year) compared to the previous month and up 1.792bn gallons/year (6.78bn litres/year) compared to last February.
US biofuel producers consumed 24.537bn pounds (11.12bn kg) of feedstock in February, down from 27.154bn pounds (12.31bn kg) the previous month. However, this was up from 24.348bn pounds (11.04bn kg) consumed in the same period the previous year.
Of that total, soyabean oil consumption reached 910M pounds (412.78M litres) in February, with 536M pounds (243.12M litres) consumed by biodiesel plants and 374M pounds (169.64M litres) consumed by renewable diesel facilities.
Total soyabean oil consumption totalled 941M pounds (426.83M litres) in January, including 557M pounds (252.65M litres) consumed at biodiesel plants and 384M pounds (157.85M litres) consumed at renewable diesel facilities. Soyabean oil consumption was 741M pounds (336.11M litres) last February, including 519M pounds (235.41M litres) consumed by biodiesel plants and 222M pounds (100.69M litres) consumed by renewable diesel facilities.
Canola oil consumption totalled168M pounds (76.2M litres) in February, down from 242M pounds (109.7M litres) the previous month. The EIA withheld the volume of canola oil that went to biofuel production in February 2022 to avoid disclosure of individual company data, SAF Magazine wrote.
According to EIA data, which was published on 28 February, biofuel producers consumed 404M pounds (183.25M litres) of yellow grease, 192M pounds (87M litres) of beef tallow, 33M pounds (14.96M litres) of white grease and 22M pounds (9.97M litres) of poultry fat in February.
The EIA withheld data on other types of waste oils, fats and greases consumed to avoid disclosure of individual company data, SAF Magazine wrote.
An additional 63M pounds (28.5M litres) of feedstock classified as “other” recycled feeds and wastes was used in biofuel production in February, compared to 65M pounds (29.48M litres) in January and 59M pounds (26.76M litres) last February. The EIA withheld data on yard and food waste feedstock and feedstock classified as “other” to avoid disclosure of individual company data, the report said.
