Renewable Diesel

Renewable Diesel is a clean-burning, low-carbon fuel made from 100% renewable resources, such as vegetable oils, animal fats, and greases. Unlike biodiesel, renewable diesel is chemically identical to petroleum diesel, allowing it to be used in any diesel engine without modifications.

It meets the same ASTM D975 specification as petroleum diesel, which means it’s a “drop-in” fuel with no blending required.

  • Renewable diesel can be produced by several different technology pathways. Currently, commercial production facilities are using the hydro-treating pathway, with fats, oils, and greases as the most common feedstocks. There are several technology pathways to produce renewable diesel including:

    • Traditional hydrotreating

    • Biological sugar upgrading

    • Catalytic conversion of sugars

    • Gasification

    • Pyrolysis

    • Hydrothermal processing

    • Engine ready

      • Works in all diesel engines and infrastructure without retrofitting

      • Meets the conventional petroleum ASTM D975 specification allowing it to be used in existing infrastructure and diesel engine

      • Increased fuel economy

    • Maintenance

      • Reduced DPF clogging/regens and DEF consumption

      • Longer fuel filter life for vehicle and tank

      • Longer oxidative stability

      • Less maintenance required

    • Fewer greenhouse gas emissions

      • Reduces carbon intensity on average by 65% when compared to petroleum diesel

      • Lowers carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, improving air quality

      • Odorless fuel

  • Renewable diesel and biodiesel are not the same fuel. Renewable diesel, previously known as green diesel, is a hydrocarbon produced most often by hydro-treating and also via gasification, pyrolysis, and other biochemical and thermochemical technologies. It meets ASTM D975 specification for petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is a mono-alkyl ester produced via transesterification. Biodiesel meets ASTM D6751 and is approved for blending with petroleum diesel.

Renewable diesel plant.

Where to find it in Idaho

Contact us or visit the AFDC’s station locator for more information about where to find your closest renewable diesel distributor and/or producer.

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AFDC’s Renewable Diesel station locator

Domestic Producers of Renewable Diesel

  • Great Falls, Montana

  • Marathon, North Dakota

  • Sinclair, Wyoming

  • Cheyenne, Wyoming

Want to learn more?

Join a working group led by Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities to talk about renewable diesel. They have monthly meetings to discuss a variety of topics: basics, production, carbon emissions and survey results, and fleet savings.

Sign up for the virtual meetings

Visit the Alternative Fuel Data Center for additional information on Renewable Diesel. The site has case studies, more on the production process, station locations, and research completed by Department of Energy’s national laboratories.

AFDC's Renewable Diesel

Pledge to use Renewable Diesel

We invite interested stakeholders to join our Renewable Diesel Pledge.

By pledging to explore and utilize the use of renewable diesel in your fleet operations, you are:

  • Voluntarily committing to test and adopt renewable diesel, where feasible, sharing progress with stakeholders, and contributing to collective action toward renewable domestic energy adoption

  • Gaining recognition for your commitment to utilizing renewable diesel as a fuel source

  • Taking a crucial step toward supporting the adoption of renewable diesel in fleet operations across Idaho

  • Joining a community of forward-thinking organizations

We appreciate your interest in this effort and look forward to working together.

Formalize your commitment