Renewable diesel, aviation the focus for biofuels industry
As the summer driving season comes to a close, demand for gasoline and other fuels has gone through significant ebbs and flows.
The ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has thrown the supply and demand picture into significant volatility. The higher summer gas prices had many consumers looking for other options at the pump this year, outside of the typical E10 blend. E15 and E85 are often discussed when looking for more cost-effective options.
Peter Probst, a self-professed “biodiesel enthusiast,” first gained his zeal for such fuels as a university student, and his passion continues full speed ahead.
Probst was a member of the University of Illinois at Chicago team that won first place in the Ethanol Vehicle Challenge in 2000 with a Chevy Silverado converted to use E85.
Kevin Johnson is another biodiesel fan, both as a farmer and a competitive tractor puller. He farms in Champaign County in eastern Illinois with this brothers John and Travis and their father Randy.
“My father and uncle have been involved in tractor pulls since the 1970s,” Johnson said.
Renewable fuels organization changes with the times
Donnell Rehagen is chief executive officer of the Clean Fuels Alliance of America, formerly known as the National Biodiesel Board.
Rehagen grew up in the Jefferson City area of Missouri. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Missouri State University and a master’s in public administration from the University of Missouri. He rose to become fleet director for the Missouri Department of Transportation before moving over to the biodiesel board in 2004, when he became its chief operating officer. He assumed the role of chief executive officer in 2016.
