JEFFERSON
CITY, Mo. – With
the increased interest in biodiesel as a viable alternative fuel, ASTM
International has published new quality specifications for biodiesel blends.
The ASTM
specifications provide details on requirements for fuel characteristics as well
as the relevant standard test methods to use for each. The new biodiesel
standards apply to all finished biodiesel blends, regardless of the type of
feedstock used to make the fuel. According to ASTM, biodiesel producers,
petroleum companies, engine companies, vehicle manufacturers, pipeline
operators, fleets and consumers will benefit from the new biodiesel blend
specifications, using them for fuel preparation, quality checking, engine
design and bid and purchasing contracts.
The new
biodiesel blend specifications include:
* ASTM
D975-08a, Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils -- used for on- and off-road
diesel applications; revised to include requirements for up to 5 percent
biodiesel.
*ASTM
D396-08b, Specification for Fuel Oils -- used for home heating and boiler
applications; revised to include requirements for up to 5 percent biodiesel.
* ASTM
D7467-08, Specification for Diesel Fuel Oil, Biodiesel Blend (B6 to 20) -- a
completely new specification that covers finished fuel blends of between 6 (B6)
and 20 (B20) percent biodiesel for on- and off-road diesel engine use.
ASTM
International also approved some updates to the existing ASTM standard for
biodiesel, ASTM D6751, which is designed to control pure biodiesel (B100)
product quality prior to blending with conventional diesel fuel.
According
to Bob McCormick, principal engineer on Fuels Performance at the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the new ASTM standards for biodiesel blends
are the result of years of negotiation between the various parties at ASTM and
years of research on how the properties of biodiesel blends affect engine
performance.
“NREL
has conducted extensive research over the past four years to support
development of these standards, which we believe will lead to an expansion of
markets for biodiesel while at the same time ensuring that users have
trouble-free performance," said McCormick.
The
research was jointly supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the
National Biodiesel Board (NBB) under a Cooperative Research and Development
Agreement.
ASTM
International has now officially published the biodiesel blend specifications
on the ASTM Web site http://www.astm.org for
general use.
