Iowa Opens First of Its Kind Biodiesel Pump in Urbandale

By Cami Koons

URBANDALE— The Des Moines region is now home to the first above-ground B99 fueling pump, an action that was celebrated Thursday morning by leaders in the biofuels, trucking, and soybean industries.  

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the new pump, which allows certain semi trucks to fill up with a 99% biodiesel blended fuel, shows a completion of the ag supply chain, from the field to the biofuel refineries and now into a truck.

“Every time I see this, or think of an infrastructure investment, I just know that that’s more demand pulling through, and what that ultimately means is more demand for the things that we grow,” Naig said. “It adds value every single step throughout the chain.” 

The pump is located at a Pilot fuel station in Urbandale, near the intersection of Douglas Avenue and Interstate 35, and for now will be used primarily by PepsiCo trucks which are equipped to utilize the fuel. 

Eric Fobes, head of renewables for Pilot, said the new biodiesel pump is an adherence to the company’s commitment to “shaping the future of energy.” 

“To me and our customers, it’s important that we are offering decarbonized solutions,” Fobes said. “This is one of those offers.” 

The trucking company launched the first B99 pump at a travel center in Decatur, Illinois, in March. The pump in Urbandale is now the second station in the country with the high blend of biodiesel fuel, but the first station with an above-ground pump. The company has plans to open another pump in Texas this summer. 

PepsiCo has committed local trucks to using the biodiesel from the station, which is several minutes away from the beverage and snack company’s Urbandale plant. 

Sarah Towles, senior director of government affairs for PepsiCo, said the partnership with Pilot represents “real scalable solutions” for long haul transportation. Towles said PepsiCo has about 20 trucks prepared to use the station currently, but plans to equip other trucks in the future. 

Karl Thomas with Optimus Technologies, the company that helped to outfit the PepsiCo trucks to use the fuel, said decarbonizing the industry requires collaboration. 

“Together, we’re building an ecosystem for sustainable trucking by introducing a new fuel to the commercial trucking market in the U.S.” Thomsas said. 

Thomas said Optimus developed a vector system in the trucks which keeps the biodiesel from gelling during colder months. Thomas said this technology, and equipping long haul trucks to run on higher blends of biodiesel is “one of the lowest cost technologies to decarbonize heavy duty trucking.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates 23% of transportation related carbon dioxide emissions came from medium and heavy-duty trucking. The agency encourages the industry to transition to lower emission fuels, like biofuels, hydrogen, or compressed natural gas to lower emissions.

Biodiesel Supports the Soybean Industry 

Biodiesel in Iowa is made primarily from soybean oil, which means biodiesel demand is directly linked with soybean demand. 

Dave Walton, a director for both Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa Biodiesel Board, said the pump represents, “real on the ground, progress in Americans’ transition to cleaner fuels.” 

“By fueling their Des Moines based fleet at this B99 pump, PepsiCo is showing that high blends of biodiesel aren’t just a future concept, they’re here and now, and working,” Walton said. 

Walton said biodiesel is critical to the farm economy and that the industry adds a 13% value to each bushel of soybeans produced by Iowa farmers. 

According to 2024 figures from the Iowa Biodiesel Board, the industry added $2.2 billion in total sales and $123 million in labor income to the state’s economy. 

“Projects like today’s expands consumer access to affordable domestic homegrown fuels that increase good paying jobs for our hardworking Americans,” Walton said. 

Walton also commended Iowa lawmakers, specifically Sen. Annette Sweeney, R-Iowa Falls; Sen. Matt Blake, D-Urbandale; and Rep. Larry McBurney; D-Urbandale, who were in attendance, for supporting state incentives on biodiesel blends. 

Calls for Federal Support 

While the industry a high performing year, with a total of 350 million gallons of biodiesel produced in 2024, Walton said several plants in the state are idle due to the uncertainty of federal tax credits. 

Walton said he also hopes EPA will approve 5.25 billion gallons of biodiesel for the upcoming Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS. This standard sets the minimum amount of renewable fuels required to be blended, annually, into diesel and gasoline. According to EPA, the 2025 requirement for biodiesel was 3.35 billion gallons. 

Naig echoed the call for “strong” Renewable Volume Obligations under RFS and said producers also need clear guidance on tax policy.

Renewable fuel producers in Iowa have been advocating for, and waiting on, definitive guidance from the U.S. Department of the Treasury on the 45z tax credit, which would incentivize sustainable aviation fuel, biodiesel and other plant-based fuels. 

A bill pertaining to eminent domain and carbon sequestration pipelines, could also impact the biofuels industry’s ability to use these credits, which is a major reason why the industry has opposed the legislation, which is currently sitting on Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk. 

Naig said he has heard from folks on both sides of the issue, but the decision on the bill rests with Reynolds and her council.

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