Q: Why does Bioheat fuel generate fewer carbon dioxide emissions than regular heating oil?
A: Ultra-low-sulfur Bioheat fuel mixes low-carbon renewable liquids like biodiesel with conventional heating oil. Biodiesel is a gallon-for-gallon substitute for petroleum-based fuels, which have a higher carbon intensity. By 2030, it’s estimated that biodiesel will have displaced 529 million gallons of heating oil.
Q: How is biodiesel made?
A: Biodiesel is a nontoxic, biodegradable, renewable, liquid fuel. The biodiesel that’s blended with heating oil is generally produced by agricultural byproducts, including used cooking oil, animal fats, inedible corn oil, soybean oil and canola oil. Food isn’t sacrificed for fuel in the production of biodiesel. Oils and fats for biodiesel are a minor byproduct of producing food.
Q: How much can we reduce carbon emissions by using Bioheat fuel?
A: The Northeast’s use of Bioheat fuel annually prevents more than 1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions. To put that in perspective, 1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions is the equivalent of the emissions from the annual energy use in 180,000 homes.
Read more about Bioheat fuel.
Source: Biodiesel.org