What is renewable diesel?

Renewable diesel and biodiesel are often confused. They start from similar feedstocks but use different processes and produce different products.

Biodiesel is made by transesterification and is chemically distinct from petroleum diesel — which is why blend limits and cold-flow issues exist. Renewable diesel is hydrotreated into an essentially identical hydrocarbon, so it drops in without restriction.

That processing requires hydrogen and refinery-scale equipment. Renewable diesel is something you buy, not something you make on a farm.