Biofuel Briefs
Hawaii to Convert State Diesel Fleet to Run on B20
STREATOR, Ill. (DTN) -- Hawaii State Department of Transportation Director Ford Fuchigami said at a visit to Pacific Biodiesel's Big Island Biodiesel production plant with Governor David Ige on Tuesday, March 17, that Hawaii will convert its diesel fleet to run on B20.
"We are committed to convert all of our diesel fuel equipment and vehicles to B20," Fuchigami said. "This fuel is a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel. We support initiatives to buy local and promote the use of clean energy fuels."
The visit underscored the governor's energy plan and commitment to renewable energy for transportation in Hawaii, emphasizing the state's "serious commitment to food security and energy sustainability," said a Pacific Biodiesel news release issued this morning.
Ige commended Pacific Biodiesel for its "vision to position Hawaii to become an energy independent and self-sustainable state."
Since its inception over 15 years ago, Pacific Biodiesel has built 12 facilities on the mainland United States and in Japan, and completed expansions on several of those plants. Its newest venture, Big Island Biodiesel in Kea'au, Hawaii, began production in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Bill Would Lift Biodiesel in NYC Heating Oil to 5% by 2016
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STREATOR, Ill. (DTN) -- New York City Council Member Costa Constantinides plans to introduce a bill Thursday, Feb. 12, to increase the amount of biodiesel in heating oil used for space heating in New York City from 2% to 5% by 2016.
The bill ramps up biodiesel blends in heating oil sold in the city to 10% biodiesel by 2020, 15% by 2025 and 20% by 2030.
"As we move closer toward our city-wide commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, we must take advantage of all opportunities to get us there," Constantinides said in a statement emailed to Schneider Electric today. "Increasing biofuel in home heating oil will make our city more sustainable and healthier."
Constantinides said buildings produce more than 75% of the city's emissions, and his bill would help cut those emissions.
"Increasing our biofuel use to a 5% biofuel blend in our heating oil would be equivalent to taking 45,000 cars off the road," he said. "Biodiesel also brings good jobs to our local economy."
Myke Feinman can be reached at myke.feinman@dtn.com
ASTM Revises Biodiesel FAME Limit in Jet Fuel to 50 ppm
STREATOR, Ill. (DTN) -- A new revision to ASTM International's Aviation Turbine Fuel Standard D1655 safely adapts to the growing global presence of biodiesel in the petroleum industry, ASTM said in a news release Monday, Feb. 2.
The revised standard increases the allowable cross-contamination of fatty acid methyl ester in jet fuel from five parts per million to 50 parts per million.
"The jet fuel specification keeps the aviation industry safe while adapting to the expanded presence of biofuels," says ASTM member David J. Abdallah, Exxon Mobil research and engineering. "In fact, no discernible negative impact on jet fuel product quality was observed with up to 400 ppm of biodiesel."
Abdallah noted that a potential future revision could further increase the standard to allow 100 ppm.
D1655 has been used for decades by the aviation community to help ensure quality control and safe distribution of jet fuel. Biodiesel blends -- which have a small percentage of FAME -- increasingly use the same distribution systems as jet fuel such as shipping containers, pipelines.
"After biodiesel is transported through a distribution system, there is a possibility that traces of FAME may be picked up by jet fuel, which later uses that same distribution system," ASTM said.
The initial response to the introduction of biodiesels into the marketplace was to maintain an undetectable level of FAME contamination in jet fuel. Due to the costs associated with that requirement and the rising presence of biofuels worldwide, industry experts studied whether the level of allowable FAME in jet fuel could be increased without compromising safety or adversely affecting aircraft operation.
(BM/AG)
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