A recent Life Cycle Assessment conducted by Sustainable Solutions Corporation (SSC) for the United Soybean Board (USB) and the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) reveals a significant 22% reduction in the carbon footprint associated with U.S. soybean oil production from 2015 to 2021. This decrease is attributed to improvements in cultivation, harvesting, transportation and processing stages of soy production. The findings are particularly relevant as soybean oil serves as a crucial feedstock for biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production in the United States.
Soybean production and oil processing contribute over 40% of the carbon intensity (CI) score for soy-based biodiesel. The documented improvements are expected to result in reduced CI across the clean fuels industry. Clean Fuels Alliance America facilitated the alignment of collected data with specifications for the GREET model, ensuring seamless integration for model updates by Argonne National Laboratory.
Veronica Bradley, Environmental Scientist at Clean Fuels Alliance America, expressed anticipation for the GREET model updates to reflect the latest industry improvements, underscoring the collaborative effort towards enhancing sustainability in the clean fuels sector.
