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Standards and Warranties
The Biodiesel
Standard (ASTM D 6751)
All engines are designed and manufactured for a fuel that has certain characteristics.
In the US, the industry organization that defines the consensus on fuels is
the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). In the case of diesel
fuel (and biodiesel), the responsibility for setting standards lies within
ASTM Committee D02 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants. In order to assure
that the standards are rigorous and robust, ASTM committee D02 is comprised
of fuel producers, engine equipment manufacturers, and third party interests
(users, government agencies, consultants). ASTM also uses a complicated ballot
process in which a single negative vote is enough to defeat a ballot, so this
is a true consensus organization. An ASTM standard is not easily achieved.
Some standards can take over 10 years to gain agreement and be issued by ASTM.
This rigorous, time-consuming process is why ASTM standards are recognized
and adopted by others worldwide.
ASTM fuel standards are the minimum accepted
values for properties of the fuel to provide adequate customer
satisfaction and/or protection. For diesel fuel, the ASTM standard
is ASTM D 975. All engine and fuel injection manufacturers design
their engines around ASTM D 975. In cooperative discussions with
the engine community early in the biodiesel industry's development,
engine manufacturers strongly encouraged the biodiesel industry
to develop an ASTM standard for biodiesel fuel which would allow
them to provide their customers with a more definitive judgment
on how the fuel would affect engine and fuel system operations
compared to ASTM D 975 fuel for which an engine was designed.
In June of 1994, a task force was formed
within ASTM Subcommittee E on Burner, Diesel, Non-Aviation Gas
Turbine, and Marine Fuels of ASTM Committee D02, with the expressed
objective of developing an ASTM standard for biodiesel. The biodiesel
standard, ASTM PS 121-99, was approved by Subcommittee E, and
subsequently issued by ASTM in June of 1999 (for copies, see the
ASTM web site at www.astm.org). In December of 2001, ASTM approved
the full standard for biodiesel, with the new designation of D-6751
(succeeds PS 121-99). This standard covers pure biodiesel (B100),
for blending with petrodiesel in levels up to 20% by volume. Higher
levels of biodiesel are allowed on a case-by-case basis after
discussion with the individual engine company, since most of the
experience in the US thus far has been with B20 blends.
The approval of this biodiesel standard,
and the technical reviews necessary to secure its approval, has
provided both the engine community and customers with the information
needed to assure trouble free operation with biodiesel blends.
Engine Warranties
All diesel engine companies warranty the product they make - engines. They
warranty their engines for “materials and workmanship.” If there
is a problem with an engine part or with engine operation due to an error
in manufacturing or assembly within the prescribed warranty period, the problem
will be covered by the engine company.
Typically, an engine company will define what fuel the engine was designed
for and will recommend the use of that fuel to their customers in their owner's
manuals.
Engine companies do not manufacture fuel
or fuel components. Therefore, engine companies do not warranty
fuel - whether that fuel is biodiesel or petrodiesel fuel. Since
engine manufacturers warranty the materials and workmanship of
their engines, they do not warranty fuel of any kind. If there
are engine problems caused by a fuel (again, whether that fuel
is petrodiesel fuel or biodiesel fuel) these problems are not
related to the materials or workmanship of the engine, but are
the responsibility of the fuel supplier and not the engine manufacturer.
Any reputable fuel supplier (biodiesel, petrodiesel, or a blend
of both) should stand behind its products and cover any fuel quality
problems if they occur.
Therefore, the most important aspect regarding
engine warranties and biodiesel is whether an engine manufacturer
will void its parts and workmanship warranty when biodiesel is
used, and whether the fuel producer or marketer will stand behind
its fuels should problems occur.
Most major engine companies have stated
formally that the use of blends up to B20 will not void their
parts and workmanship warranties. This includes blends below 20%
biodiesel, such as the 2% biodiesel blends that are becoming more
common. Several statements from the engine companies are available
on the NBB website. Some engine companies have already specified
that the biodiesel must meet ASTM D-6751 as a condition, while
others are still in the process of adopting D-6751 within their
company or have their own set of guidelines for biodiesel use
that were developed prior to the approval of D-6751. It is anticipated
that the entire industry will incorporate the ASTM biodiesel standard
into their owner's manuals over time.
The National Biodiesel Board, the trade
association for the biodiesel industry, has formed the National
Biodiesel Accreditation Commission (NBAC) to audit fuel producers
and marketers in order to enforce fuel quality standards in the
US. NBAC issues a 'Certified Biodiesel Marketer' seal of approval
for biodiesel marketers that have met all requirements of fuel
accreditation audits. This seal of approval will provide added
assurance to customers, as well as engine manufacturers, that
the biodiesel marketed by these companies meets the ASTM standards
for biodiesel and that the fuel supplier will stand behind its
products.
With biodiesel that meets the D-6751 specification,
there have been over 45 million miles of successful, problem-free,
real-world operation with B20 blends in a wide variety of engines,
climates, and applications. The steps taken by the biodiesel industry
to work with the engine companies and to ensure that fuel meets
the newly accepted ASTM standards provides confidence to users
and engine manufacturers that their biodiesel experiences will
be positive and trouble-free.
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