Biodiesel ISSUES
Update Spring 2010
More intense testing of cold flow properties of bio blends began when operability issues due to bio content falling out of suspension surfaced in Minnesota during the winter of 2009-10. Minnesota mandated that a B-5 diesel fuel be used starting in the fall of 2009. As temperatures dropped, the percentage of K-1 blended with the B-5 diesel fuel increased.
Amalgamated, Inc requested Research Laboratories, Inc in Fort Wayne, IN continue extensive laboratory testing and thus far results have revealed that the amount of K-1 blended with the B-5 is not a problem. To prove this, straight K-1 was blended with bio from several sources. Distilled soy and traditional soy along with canola oil, tallow and palm oil were used to blend a diesel fuel with B-5 content (K-1 = 95%, bio = 5%). Blends were tested at extreme temperatures over an extended period of time. While testing has not revealed any issues with K-1, it has shown the dramatic difference between sources of the 5% bio content. Also shown is that precipitation, though initially present at extreme temperatures, increases over time.
• The traditional soy did not precipitate out of the 95% K-1 fuel but the distilled soy biodiesel did show some fall out over the 14 day test period in storage at extreme temperatures.
• The canola biodiesel showed minor precipitation out of the 95% K-1 fuel during the 14 day test period at extreme temperatures.
• Both the tallow and the palm oil showed significant fall out of the 95% K-1 blended fuel at temperatures above the cloud point of the fuel.
In conjunction with the testing of the bio blends with 95% K-1, Amalgamated, Inc developed custom formulated biodiesel wax dispersing additives that prevented precipitation in most of the biodiesel products. The traditional soy and distilled soy biodiesel products along with the canola biodiesel and the tallow biodiesel products had no precipitation with Amalgamated’s custom formulated additives at extremely low temperatures over the extended time period. The palm oil showed significantly reduced precipitation with the custom formulated biodiesel wax dispersing additives from Amalgamated.
To confirm the wax dispersing capabilities of its additives, Amalgamated uses a new laboratory test designated the Wax Dispersancy Filterability Test (WDFT). This new laboratory test checks for precipitated paraffin wax (and bio) in 400ml of a fuel sample with additive. It does this by comparing the Cloud Point of the “Top” 100ml of the fuel sample to the Cloud Point of the “Bottom” 100ml of the fuel sample. This is done after a minimum of 24 hours in a freezer at 10 degrees below the fuel’s original Cloud Point. Amalgamated exclusive, unique Wax Dispersing Additive (WDA) will prevent precipitation of the wax. Thus, the Cloud Point on the top of the sample and the Cloud Point on the Bottom of the sample should be similar.
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