July 02, 2008
ASTM Approves New Biodiesel Blend Specifications
VANCOUVER, B.C. – The ASTM International D02 Main Committee approved a trio of long-awaited
ASTM specifications for biodiesel blends. After more than five years of
extensive research and subsequent balloting by the ASTM fuel experts in the
blended fuel balloting process, ASTM has finally voted to approve three key
sets of biodiesel specifications that should significantly bolster automaker
support and consumer demand for biodiesel:
- Changes to the existing B-100 biodiesel blend
stock specification (ASTM D6751).
- Finished specifications to include up to five
percent biodiesel (B-5) in the conventional petrodiesel specification (ASTM
D975).
- A new specification for blends of between six percent
biodiesel (B-6) to 20 percent biodiesel (B-20) for on and off road diesel.
Automakers
and engine manufacturers have been requesting a finished blend specification
for B-20 biodiesel blends for several years, with some citing the need for that
spec as the single greatest hurdle preventing their full-scale acceptance of
B-20 use in their diesel vehicles.
“The new
ASTM specifications for B-6-B-20 blends will aid engine manufacturers in their
engine design and testing processes to optimize the performance of vehicles
running on biodiesel,” said Steve Howell, chairman of the ASTM Biodiesel Task
Force. “The new specifications will also help ensure that only the highest
quality biodiesel blends are made available to consumers at the retail pump.”
Chrysler
LLC was instrumental in working with the ASTM task force toward B-20
specification development and approval, having supported fleet use of B-20 in
its Dodge Ram diesel pickups since January 2006. And currently GM accepts the
use of B-5 in all of its diesel vehicles, and offers B-20 use as a Special
Equipment Option (SEO).
The SEO
is available to government fleets on specific configurations of the Chevy
Silverado and GMC Sierra Heavy Duty Pickups, as well as the GMC Savanna and
Chevy Express Commercial Cutaway Vans.
The
approval of ASTM specifications for inclusion of up to five percent biodiesel
(B-5) in the regular diesel fuel pool also means that biodiesel could soon
become more readily available at retail fueling stations nationwide.
The ASTM
International Main Committee also approved a fourth set of specifications for
inclusion of B-5 biodiesel in heating oil. Marketed as Bioheat, biodiesel is
gaining popularity as a home heating oil, particularly in the Northeast
United States.
Biodiesel
must be properly processed to meet the approved ASTM specifications regardless
of the feedstock used to produce it. Biodiesel blends up to B-20 meeting ASTM
specifications can be used in any diesel engine without modifications, and
nearly all major automakers and engine manufacturers in the United States
currently accept the use of at least B-5, with some companies — such as
Caterpillar, Cummins, John Deere, and New Holland — already accepting blends of
B-20 or higher. Several more companies are expected to raise their approvals to
B-20 now that the final ASTM specifications for B-6-B-20 blends have been
approved.
For more
information, visit www.biodiesel.org.