A national fuel quality testing project, co-funded by National Biodiesel Board and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, found that one-third or 33 percent of biodiesel samples taken between November 2005 and July of this year were out of spec for incomplete processing.

This same issue caused some filter clogging problems in Minnesota winter, with cold weather amplifying problems caused by out-of-spec fuel.

“NBB views these results as unacceptable,” Jobe said. “This underscores the need for enforcement agencies to take action against those who aren’t producing biodiesel that meets the existing standard, ASTM D-6751,” said Joe Jobe, NBB CEO.

As a result of the issues in Minnesota last winter, NBB board members in June approved a comprehensive Fuel Quality Policy that directs NBB to work with all state and federal agencies with authority to regulate fuel and enforce quality.

NBB’s Fuel Quality Outreach Program has made contact with all state Divisions of Weights and Measures, and encouraged them to adopt ASTM D-6751 into the laws that regulate fuel quality. Currently, half of the states have adopted the ASTM D-6751 specification as part of their fuel quality regulations, and an additional 13 states are planning to adopt the specification or are studying it. Ten states now proactively test biodiesel or biodiesel blends.

One of those states is Minnesota, where all diesel fuel contains 2 percent biodiesel.

“All of the samples from the state’s biodiesel producers and terminals that we have collected and tested have met specifications,” said Mark Buccelli, director, Minnesota Department of Commerce Division of Weights and Measures. “We have set up a monthly schedule to collect samples at the biodiesel producers and terminals. We expect to see good results. Most of the terminals are testing every shipment of biodiesel that comes into their facilities.”

The NBB’s BQ-9000 program program, launched in late 2005, requires certified and accredited companies to posses a quality control system and employ best practices in fuel sampling, testing, blending, shipping, storage, and distribution. This helps assure quality from plant gate to consumer tank.