Iowa coop demos use of B5 and B20 for farm trucks

In Iowa, a demonstration by an Iowa farm cooperative aims to persuade more farmers in the state to use biodiesel. United Farmers Cooperative, based at Afton in southern Iowa, put two trucks head-to-head to compare how blends of 5% and 20% biodiesel (B5 and B20) performed. The B20 truck won.

The four-month trial in 2016 had identical company automatic 18-wheelers with Volvo engines fill up with biodiesel from United Farmers Cooperative blender pumps. Darin Schlapia, the co-op’s energy operations manager, kept records on differences in miles per gallon between the trucks. At the end of the trial, the B5 truck averaged 5.19 mpg. The B20 truck averaged 5.84 mpg.