Biodiesel Fuel Handling and Use Guidelines for Users, Blenders, Distributors – Quality Specifications, Benefits and Drawbacks, Issues and Questions, Definitions, MSDS

Biodiesel Fuel Handling and Use Guidelines for Users, Blenders, Distributors – Quality Specifications, Benefits and Drawbacks, Issues and Questions, Definitions, MSDS
alternative energy benefits and drawbacks

This ebook provides a reproduction of the up-to-date third edition of this important U.S. Department of Energy document on biodiesel handling and use guidelines. It is published by the DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) office. The introduction states: “This document is a guide for those who blend, distribute, and use biodiesel and biodiesel blends. It is intended to help fleets and individual users, blenders, distributors, and those involved in related activities understand procedures for handling and using biodiesel fuels. We hope it will be a useful tool, both when planning biodiesel use and as an ongoing resource. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, and recycled cooking oils. Biodiesel offers many advantages: It is renewable; It is energy efficient.; It displaces petroleum derived diesel fuel; It can be used in most diesel equipment with no or only minor modifications; It can reduce global warming gas emissions; It can reduce tailpipe emissions, including air toxics; It is nontoxic, biodegradable, and suitable for sensitive environments; It is made in the United States from either agricultural or recycled resources; It can be easy to use if you follow these guidelines. Biodiesel can be used in several different ways. You can use 1% to 2% biodiesel as a lubricity additive, which could be especially important for ultra low sulfur diesel fuels (ULSD, less than 15 ppm sulfur), which may have poor lubricating properties. You can blend 20% biodiesel with 80% diesel fuel (B20) for use in most applications that use diesel fuel. You can even use it in its pure form (B100) if you take proper precautions. The word biodiesel in this report refers to the pure fuel-B100-that meets the specific biodiesel definition and standards approved by ASTM International. A number following the “B” indicates the percentage of biodiesel in a gallon of fuel, where the remainder of the gallon can be No. 1 or No. 2 diesel, kerosene, jet A, JP8, heating oil, or any other distillate fuel. Today, B20 is the most common biodiesel blend in the United States because it balances property differences with conventional diesel, performance, emission benefits, and costs. B20 is also the minimum blend level allowed for Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct) compliance. B20 can be used in equipment designed to use diesel fuel. Equipment that can use B20 includes compression-ignition (CI) engines, fuel oil and heating oil boilers, and turbines.” Contents include: Biodiesel Basics; What is Biodiesel? Registration and Regulation; Benefits of Biodiesel Use; Drawbacks of Biodiesel Use; Biodiesel in Non-Transportation Applications; Biodiesel (B100); Quality Specifications; Variation in Biodiesel Properties; Energy Content; B100 Cold Flow Properties; B100 Cetane Number; B100 Stability; B100 Microbial Contamination; B100 Cleaning Effect; B100 Material Compatibility; Suggestions for Transporting B100; Suggestions for Using B100; B100 and NOx Emissions; Using 20% Biodiesel Blends; B20 Cold flow; Blending Biodiesel to Make B20 or Lower Blends; B20 and Emissions; B20 Cleaning Effect; B20 Material Compatibility; Lubricity; B20 Stability; Warranty Issues; Taxes and Incentives; Safety, Health, and Environmental Issues; Using Biodiesel Under the Energy Policy Act; Frequently Asked Questions about Using Biodiesel; Information Resources; Glossary/definitions; Sample Biodiesel Material Safety Data Sheet.
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