NREL releases 2022 fuel-quality report for US, Canadian biodiesel

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory released its Assessment of BQ-9000 Biodiesel Properties for 2022 with more data collected than ever before.

The annual report is produced under the direction of Clean Fuels Alliance America to document the quality of biodiesel from U.S. and Canadian producers that participate in the industry’s voluntary quality-assurance program, BQ-9000.

Participants provided monthly data on critical quality parameters to a team of experts that anonymized the data to NREL for statistical analysis.

The data collected for 2022 suggests a higher level of quality of BQ-9000 biodiesel for users that blend with petroleum diesel across the U.S., meaning biodiesel production well exceeds the current ASTM-specification limits.

Scott Fenwick, technical director for Clean Fuels, said the annual assessment is used by entities such as U.S. EPA and the California Air Resources Board to validate biodiesel quality while supporting the clean-fuels industry.

“The results of this assessment have led to the improvement of biodiesel spec ASTM D6751-23,” Fenwick said.

“These improvements have allowed major fleets to switch to biodiesel to meet carbon-reduction goals and will likely lead to higher-blend approvals for some OEMs in the future,” he added.

Click here to access the full report.