How the U.S. Soybean Market is Becoming Domesticated

Renewable diesel is not biodiesel. Although both are biomass-based, biodiesel is blended with petroleum distillate/diesel, while renewable diesel is molecularly the same as and equivalent to petroleum diesel, making it suitable to fill 100 percent of a tank.

Low Carbon Fuel Standards are currently in place in California and Oregon, but six additional states are already taking their own programs into consideration as lawmakers focus on ESG initiatives and carbon-neutrality, reflecting a momentum toward replacing petroleum diesel with renewable diesel at accelerating rates.

More and more fuel producers such as Phillips 66 and Marathon Oil are investing in soybean crushing facilities and partnerships - such as the one between Marathon and ADM centered on ADM’s new $350 million Spiritwood, North Dakota, plant.

This year, the U.S. has the capacity to produce about 900 million gallons of renewable diesel. Next year, this capacity will increase to 2.1 billion gallons, and to a potential 6 billion gallons per year in the future. This climbing usage will domesticate the U.S. soybean market, and will create demand that is hard to meet.

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