Biodiesel Testing

In his State of the Union address, President Bush highlighted the United States’ need for energy independence, including solar power, wind power, and of course, biofuels.

One proposition of interest was to invest in research making ethanol from agricultural waste, which is a realistic biofuel of our future.

Methane gas is a natural byproduct of landfills all over our country. Power plants are starting to use this energy source to make the electricity to power your home and business.

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A recent story on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered“, focused the discussion on ethanol not being the holy grail of clean burning fuel.

The featured guest, Tim Searchinger of Princeton University, said, “The simplest explanation is that when we divert our corn or soybeans to fuel, if people around the world are going to continue to eat the same amount that they’re already eating, you have to replace that food somewhere else.”

This of course forces humans to convert more natural forests and grasslands into agricultural fields which results in more carbon dioxide production.

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Biodiesel fuel benefits depend on the properties of the fuel produced.  Refiners and distributors ensure the quality of this alternative fuel by meeting the standards specified by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

The ASTM guidelines place maximum and/or minimum limits on 4 biodiesel characteristics: 

1) Flash Point.  The flash point is the lowest temperature for which combustion is possible.  If too low, then inadvertent combustion may occur which is of course a safety hazard.  Producers should always test biodiesel fuel for the flash point to ensure the safety of distributors, retailers and consumers.

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To become certified by the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission (NBAC) as a BQ-9000 producer or seller, biodiesel fuel producers, distributors and retailers may be interested in putting into practice a fuel testing program.

Key to BQ-9000 certification is compliance with the ASTM D6751 specification for B100. The ASTM D6751 sets limits on a number of properties of biodiesel fuel:

• the combined mass concentration of calcium and magnesium
• the closed cup flashpoint
• the combined volume concentration of water and sediment
• and many more properties.

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We are excited about The National Biodiesel Conference & Expo 2008! It will be held in Orlando, February 3-6, 2008 - Orlando is a great place to be in the middle of winter! The Conference will be at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center.

The 2008 Conference is expected to break records with the number of industry leaders. There will be endless opportunities for education, networking, and events.

Stop by the Midwest Labs booth (Booth 1019) to learn more about our biodiesel testing analysis - analysis you can trust. For more information, contact Brent Pohlman or Heather Ramig at 402-334-7770.

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The U.S. Department of Energy has many biodiesel related incentives and laws to encourage blenders, producers, and retailers to manufacture these alternative fuels.

Quality control is a must throughout the production process. Midwest Laboratories, Inc. offers a wide array of Petroleum Analysis & Biodiesel Analysis Biodiesel Testing. We’re happy to work with you to whether you need an individual biodiesel testing kit or are interested in a package to continuously test biodiesel.

For additional information, please contact bpohlman@midwestlabs.com

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Summary:
Biodiesel is a carbon neutral fuel that can be used in most diesel engines with little or no modification. Using it can greatly reduce your fossil CO2 emissions, but what is biodiesel?

Article: 

Biodiesel is a biofuel which is produced from organic oils or fats, and can be used in diesel engines. The technical name for standard biodiesel is alkyl methyl ester. Generally, this is made from reacting vegetable oil and methanol using a catalyst, resulting in a molecule that contains hydrogen, carbon and oxygen. The presence of oxygen in the molecule helps to make it a cleaner burning fuel. Although some diesel engines can run on straight vegetable oil (SVO), this is not genuine biodiesel and does not share all of its advantages.

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Summary:
Biodiesel has actually been around for a lot longer than most people would think. Made from natural materials, most commonly soybeans, biodiesel provides an alternative to regular diesel fuels that is comparable in terms of performance, but without the environmental risks.

Article:

Biodiesel has actually been around for a lot longer than most people would think. Made from natural materials, most commonly soybeans, biodiesel provides an alternative to regular diesel fuels that is comparable in terms of performance, but without the environmental risks.

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Summary:
Biodiesel fuel is a fuel made from the oil of certain oilseed crops such as soybean, canola, palm kernel, coconut, sunflower, safflower, corn and a hundreds of other oil producing crops. The oil is extracted by the use of a press. The oil is then mixed in specific proportions with other agents which causes a chemical reaction. The results of this reaction are two products, biodiesel and soap.

Article:
Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel
By http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Then Joseph Then

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Summary:
The idea of using an all natural biodegradable fuel source may seem a bit too science fiction or Hollywood for the average person.

Article:
Biodiesel and You
By http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Then Joseph Then

The idea of using an all natural biodegradable fuel source may seem a bit too science fiction or Hollywood for the average person. Most alternative fuel sources have left much to be desired, but there is an alternative to the usual vegetable based alternative fuel and fossil fuels. Biodiesel is the future of alternative fuels.

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