Quality of biodiesel rising

Diesel Progress North American Edition, March, 2008

According to a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) the quality of biodiesel has achieved a high degree of success meeting national fuel quality standards, in part because of National Biodiesel Board's (NBB) fuel quality outreach program. The results indicate a significant improvement in fuel quality since 2006.

NREL, a Department of Energy laboratory based in Golden, Colo., collected the samples from a relatively large number of biodiesel producers between April and October 2007. The facilities made biodiesel from different vegetable oils and fats and ranged in actual production from 3000 to 30 million gal. per year. NREL then tested each sample for the most critical parameters required by ASTM D 6751, the national standard for biodiesel.

The study showed that plants certified under BQ-9000, the industry's voluntary quality control program, faired best. In addition to putting more resources into BQ-9000, the NBB has worked with the Internal Revenue Service and the EPA on enforcing fuel quality. In order to receive the federal tax incentives for biodiesel, the biodiesel must meet D 6751.