Agrifuels, LLC Monthly Newsletter
Text Box: This year’s Biodiesel Conference was held in San Diego, California. The event kicked off on Monday, February 6, and went through Wednesday February 8. The day started off with a general session with National Biodiesel Board Officials greeting all the conference participants. The first session that I (David McCandlish) attended was a technical session on biodiesel quality control. The main issues that were addressed were problems with substandard quality biodiesel being a big problem in the current industry. It was made clear to the attendees that when producing biodiesel that good Text Box: test methods be used for quality assurance. The term “quick and dirty” test methods was explained, meaning some type of field tests should be implemented to make sure that quality is a number one priority with our product. The Biodiesel Board also outlined their current research priorities. In order, the priorities are: 1.) Quality, 2.) Stability, 3.) Standards, 4.) Cold Flow, 5.) Engine Durability, 6.) Reducing NOx, and 7.) Feedstock Research. Text Box: Text Box: Biodiesel Conference 2006 Text Box: The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been conducting research on biodiesel blends (B20) in real life applications. City buses were fueled with B20 biodiesel blends and studied over a period of time, along with a control group of the exact Text Box: same buses fueled with #2 diesel, for maintenance cost difference, fuel economy, power loss/gain, emissions. The NREL found that there were no differences in power, fuel economy or maintenance costs in buses running B20 blends versus #2 diesel fuel. Text Box: Furthermore, all emissions decreased with B20 blends, including, surprisingly enough, NOx emissions. Long thought to increase NOx emissions, biodiesel has been found to have no substantial effect on NOx emissions (by both the NREL and the EPA in recent Text Box: NREL Biodiesel Research

Agrifuels, LLC
Text Box: February 14, 2006 Text Box: Issue 1

Biodiesel Conference ‘06

1

NREL Research

1

Daimler-Chrysler Approves B20 for ‘07 Rams

2

IRS Registration and Tax Credit

2

 

EPA Regulations and Registration

2

 

 

 

 

 

David McCandlish

www.ohioagrifuel.com

dmccandlish@ohioagrifuel.com