Indiana Biodiesel is an Indiana corporation located in Bloomington, Indiana. Indiana Biodiesel is in the preliminary phase of building Indiana's first modern biodiesel production facility with an initial capacity of ten million gallons of biodiesel a year rising to fifty million within three years.

Biodiesel is a diesel (compression-ignition) fuel made from organic feedstocks. Traditional biodiesel feedstocks include soybeans, animal renderings, rapeseed, waste vegetable oil (restaurant oil), canola, etc.

Biodiesel can be used in an unblended form directly in most diesel vehicles with no vehicle modification. Unblended biodiesel is refered to as "neat" biodiesel (also known as B100 (100%) biodiesel). However, most consumers of biodiesel use a blend of biodiesel and conventional petroleum diesel. Blended biodiesel (< 20% biodiesel) may be used directly in any diesel vehicle regardless of age or fuel system composition.

Indiana Biodiesel's products reach consumers primarily as a B2 (2% biodiesel) blend designed to address the lubricity and emissions issues of conventional diesel fuel.

Customers may purchase biodiesel in B2, B5, B20, and B100 compositions directly from Indiana Biodiesel. Indiana Biodiesel's primary sales channel is directly to petroleum refiners and distributors.

Indiana Biodiesel also markets directly to municipalities and public institutions.

Indiana Biodiesel uses raw soybeans as its primary feedstock. A small amount of feedstock is comprised of waste restaurant vegetable oil. Indiana Biodiesel does not use animal-based feedstocks.

As a fuel, biodiesel has three primary advantages over conventional petroleum diesel fuel. First, biodiesel has superior lubricity characteristics which means lower wear of engine components such as fuel injection pumps, fuel injectors, and the upper-cylinder area.

Second, engines using biodiesel emit far lower emissions. Engines using 100% (B100) biodiesel emit virtually no sulfur dioxide or carbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide and soot production using 100% biodiesel is approximately half that of conventional diesel fuel. Engines using blends (such as B2) demonstrate emissions reductions as a function of the blend amount.

Third, biodiesel is domestically produced. Every gallon of biodiesel purchased offsets a gallon of imported fuel, improving Indiana and the nation's energy independence and keeping dollars from flowing out of the country.

Biodiesel has a higher cloudpoint than conventional petroleum diesel. This primarily affects its low-temperature performance as biodiesel will gell a a higher temperature than conventional diesel. Indiana Biodiesel does not recommend the use of neat (B100) biodiesel in cold climates (outside air temperature below 40F). In cold-temperature situations Indiana Biodiesel recommends using a blend such as B2 (2%), B5 (5%), or B20 (20%).

Yes to the first, no to the second. Although biodiesel has a slightly lower energy content than regular diesel, empirical tests have revealed no real-world performance differences when biodiesel is used, even up to 100% (B100) concentrations, over conventional diesel.

Indiana Biodiesel's Bloomington plant consumes soybeans (96%), methanol (4%), lye (0.4%), and electricity (percentages represent amount as a percentage of every gallon of biodiesel produced). It produces soy meal (for animal feed) (60%), biodiesel (35%), and glycerine (for cosmetics) (5%) (percentages represent amount of total output)

No. The plant recycles all catalyst materials and is output products are all biodegradeable.

Raw soybeans and methanol are delivered via railroad hopper and tank cars over the Indiana Rail Road and Bloomington's McDoel switchyards adjacent to the Indiana Biodiesel plant.

Soy meal, glycerine, and biodiesel are delivered to end customers via rail and a limited amount of trucking.

In neat (B100) form, Indiana Biodiesel is guaranteed to work with all modern diesel engines and fuel systems. In blended form up to B20, Indiana Biodiesel is guaranteed to work in any diesel engine on any vehicle within any temperature range specified for straight petroleum diesel.

Regardless of blend percentage, Indiana Biodiesel meets or exceeds the ASTM 6751-2 standard for commerical on-road biodiesel.

Biodiesel is also significantly safer than conventional diesel. The flashpoint of biodiesel is at least 130 degrees C, allowing biodiesel to be classifed as a non-flammable liquid. Furthermore, biodiesel, unlike conventional diesel, is biodegradeble.

At full capacity Indiana Biodiesel will supply enough biodiesel fuel to allow all of Indiana's 1.7 billion annual gallons of diesel fuel consumed to be blended to a 2% blend of biodiesel (B2). This will enable Indiana to meet upcoming federal reduced sulfur content requirements without costly and harmful fuel additives or engine modifications.

In order to meet this demand, Indiana Biodiesel will produce nearly 50 million gallons a year of biodiesel, consuming 35 million bushels of raw Indiana soybeans in the process.

That will take $160 million dollars a year from foreign petroleum purchases and into the pockets of Indiana farmers and Indiana consumers.