The state of Minnesota on Friday effectively became the first in the US to pump a 5%-mix biodiesel (B5), as it looks toward further increasing the blend to B20 (20%-mix biodiesel) by 2015.

In a statement from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the state is said to increase its biodiesel production to 40 million gallons per year. The state currently produces 60 million gallons of the renewable fuel.

Previously, Minnesota became the first US state to implement biodiesel mandates, introducing the B2 (2%-mix biodiesel) requirement in 2005. Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Massachusetts have followed suit.

"Minnesota recognized early on that biodiesel could deliver powerful environmental and economic benefits," Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson said. “We know from experience that the fuel helps our air quality, our farm economy, and our effort to achieve greater energy independence."

Minnesota’s biodiesel has been produced mainly from soybeans, but some Minnesota producers are now processing or are moving toward processing biodiesel from alternative feedstocks such as animal fats, spent cooking oils, or even algae, according to the Agriculture department.


-  Eric Dorente

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¹ http://www.state.mn.us/portal/mn/jsp/content.do?id=-536882793span>