ASTM International Publishes New Biodiesel Specification Standards

International Standards Organization, ASTM (American Socieity for Testing and Materials) recently announced the release of four biodiesel standards. (1) ASTM D975-08a (Specification for Diesel Fuel Oil) is used for on and off road diesel applications, and has a revision to include an allowance for up to 5 percent biodiesel. (2) ASTM D396-08b (Specification for Fuel Oils), which is used for home heating and boiler applications, has a revision to include an allowance for up to 5 percent biodiesel. (3) ASTM D7467-08 (Specification for Diesel Fuel Oil, Biodiesel Blend (B6 to 20) is a “completely new specification” covering “finished fuel blends of between 6 (B6) and 20 (B20) percent biodiesel for on- and off-road diesel engine use.” (4) ASTM D6751-08 (Specification for Biodiesel Fuel Blend Stock (B100) for Middle Distillate Fuels is used to control pure biodiesel (B100) quality prior to blending with conventional diesel type fuels, and has a revision to include a requirement that controls minor compounds using a new cold soak filterability test. The ASTM International biodiesel standards usually provide quality assurance for biodiesel products. According to ASTM, “Engine companies, vehicle manufacturers, pipeline operators, biodiesel and petroleum companies will use the group of specifications for fuel preparation, quality checking, engine design, and bid and purchasing contracts.”

Related information: ASTM biodiesel web portal:
http://astmbiodieselfuel.com/pub/biodiesel/main.htm