According to data made public by the United States, the nation’s operational biofuel production capacity increased slightly in October. Energy Information Administration on December 30. The total amount of feedstock used was up from the previous month but down from October 2021.
In October, the capacity for all biofuels in the United States increased by 18 MMgy from September to 21.401 billion gallons annually, with growth seen for both ethanol and biodiesel. Total biofuel capacity increased by 518 MMgy in comparison to the same month in 2021.
The annual production capacity of ethanol was 17.175 billion gallons in October, up 10 MMgy from the previous month but down 233 MMgy from October 2021.
The annual production capacity of biodiesel was 2.092 billion gallons in October, an increase of 8 MMgy from September but a decrease of 369 MMgy from the same month the previous year.
In October, the capacity for renewable diesel and related fuels, such as renewable heating oil, renewable jet fuel, renewable naphtha, renewable gasoline, and other biofuels and bio-intermediates, was 2.134 billion gallons annually, unchanged from the previous month but up 1.12 billion gallons annually from October 2021.
Approximately 27.51 billion pounds of feedstock were used by U.S. biofuel producers in October, up from 23.958 billion pounds the month before but down from 28.077 billion pounds in October 2021.
October saw a total of 25.145 billion pounds of corn used for the production of biofuels, up from 21.473 billion pounds in September but down from 26.205 billion pounds in October 2021. The amount of grain sorghum used to make biofuels in October was about 328 million pounds, up from 69 million pounds in October of the previous year but down from 408 million pounds in September.
The amount of soybean oil used by biofuel producers in October was 906 million pounds, up from the 832 million pounds used in October 2021 despite a decrease from the previous month’s consumption of 934 million pounds. The consumption of corn oil was 238 million pounds in October, up from 217 million pounds in October of the previous year but down from 302 million pounds in September. October saw an increase in canola oil consumption to 166 million pounds from 131 million pounds in September and 116 million pounds in October 2021.
In addition, producers of biofuels used 464 million pounds of yellow grease, 127 million pounds of beef tallow, 61 million pounds of white grease, and 16 million pounds of poultry fat in October, compared to September’s equivalents of 438 million pounds, 131 million pounds, 62 million pounds, and 13 million pounds, and October 2021’s equivalents of 321 million pounds, 141 million pounds, 67 million pounds, and 15 million pounds.
In addition, biofuel producers consumed 59 million pounds of feedstock classified as “other” recycled feeds and wastes in October saw a decrease from October’s 66 million pounds and October’s 64 million pounds from the year prior. The EIA withheld data on the yard and food waste feedstocks and feedstocks classified as “other” for not disclosing any specific company information until October.
Reference: https://biomassmagazine.com/articles/19634/eia-biofuel-capacity-feedstock-consumption-up-in-october
