JOHNSTON, Iowa (KWQC) – When you pull up to the pump, you may not think much about what’s going into the tank, but a new report shows the average biodiesel blend purchased in Iowa reached 11 percent in 2015. That’s an increase from the 9.4 percent in 2014 and a new all-time record. While it’s still a small percentage of overall fuel sales, Iowans also purchased a record amount of E85 and mid-level ethanol blends in 2015, according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. The group looked at retail fuel sales and found Iowa motorists purchased a record 13.1 million gallons of E85 in 2015, an 8.3 percent increase over 2014, while also purchasing 8.7 mg of mid-level ethanol blends (ranging from E15 to E69), a 121.1 percent increase over 2014.
On Friday, April 1, the Iowa Department of Revenue released its 2015 Retailers Fuel Gallons Annual Report. The Iowa Department of Revenue reported that it received filings representing 93.2 percent of fuel locations in Iowa. To view the full report, please click here.
While sales of fuel containing 10 percent ethanol (E10), held steady, sales of ethanol blends above E10 continued to grow, despite historically low gasoline prices for a portion of the year.
Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production. Iowa has 43 ethanol refineries capable of producing 4 billion gallons annually, including nearly 55 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity. In addition, Iowa has 12 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce nearly 315 million gallons annually.
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association based in Johnston, was formed in 2002 to represent the state’s liquid renewable fuels industry. The trade group fosters the development and growth of the renewable fuels industry in Iowa through education, promotion, legislation and infrastructure development.
