Introduction

This course is a guide for those who blend, distribute, and use biodiesel and biodiesel blends. It provides basic information on the proper and safe use of bio-diesel and biodiesel blends in engines and boilers, and is intended to help fleets, individual users, blenders, distributors, and those involved in related activities understand procedures for handling and using biodiesel fuels. Biodiesel is manufactured from plant oils, animal fats, and recycled cooking oils and has several advantages. Biodiesel:

• Is renewable
• Displaces petroleum-derived diesel fuel
• Can be used in most diesel equipment with no or only minor modifications
• Can reduce global warming greenhouse gas emissions
• Is compatible with new technology diesel engines(NTDE) and emissions control devices
• Can reduce tailpipe emissions from older vehicles, including air toxics
• Is nontoxic, biodegradable, and suitable for sensitive environments
• Is produced domestically from agricultural or recycled resources.

In this course, biodiesel refers to the fuel produced from renewable sources that meets ASTM International (ASTM) Standard D6751-15cε1 (the latest standard for biodiesel used as a blendstock). A number following the letter “B” indicates the percent by volume (vol%) of bio-diesel in a gallon of fuel; the remainder of the gallon can be No. 1 or No. 2 diesel, kerosene, Jet A, JP8, heating oil, or any other distillate fuel. Pure (or neat) biodiesel is also known as B100.

Biodiesel is most commonly used as a blend with petro-leum diesel. At concentrations of up to 5 vol% (B5) in conventional diesel fuel, the mixture will meet ASTM D975 diesel fuel specification and can be used in any application as if it were neat petroleum diesel; for home Introduction heating oil, B5 will meet the ASTM D396 home heating oil specification.1 At concentrations of 6% to 20% (B6 to B20), biodiesel blends can be used in many applications that use diesel fuel with minor or no modifications to the equipment, although not all engine manufacturers have approved these blends for use in their equipment. B6 to B20 blends are covered by ASTM Specification D7467-15cε1. Biodiesel can even be used as a fuel in its neat form (B100) if proper precautions are taken. Appendix A shows a sample Safety Data Sheet for biodiesel.

Commonly used blends are limited to B20 in the United States because this level provides a good balance between material compatibility, cold weather operability, performance, and emission benefits, as studied. B20 is also the minimum blend level allowed for compliance with the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), which requires the use of renewable fuels and/or alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) by certain covered fleets. Equipment that can use B20 includes diesel engines, fuel oil and heating oil boilers, and turbines.

Higher blend levels such as B50, and B100 require special handling and may require equipment modifications. These issues can potentially be managed with heaters and/or changing engine seal and gasket materials. Consult your engine or combustion equipment manufacturer for further information about procedures before using biodiesel blends higher than B20.