1. Rationale
In October 2008, an update to D975 was published that permits up to 5% biodiesel meeting D6751-08 in D975 for both No. 1 and No. 2 grades in D975. Since D975 is a performance based specification, disclosure of the exact content of the biodiesel is not required in D975. As long as the biodiesel meets D6751 prior to blending, and the blend level does not exceed 5% biodiesel, the exact percent of biodiesel is not germane to overall engine performance. The new B6 to B20 standard, D7467, treats the percent biodiesel in a similar fashion. A national truck stop chain, Flying J, has expressed a concern that adding 5% biodiesel to diesel fuel already containing an un-disclosed amount of biodieselbut less than 5% and falling within D975may fall outside of D975 if the parent diesel already contains some biodiesel. In order to blend more biodiesel fuel into diesel fuel, therefore, it is important to Flying J to know the exact biodiesel content of the diesel fuel they are purchasing. After discussions with Flying J and Subcommittee E leadership, it is not desirable to specify the reporting of exact content of biodiesel within either the D975 or the D7467 fuel specifications. It is likely that the exact percent will vary based on economics, both D975 and D7467 are performance based specifications, and it is desirable to keep the flexibility to blend two D975 compliant fuels or two D7467 compliant fuels with minimal record keeping. This issue is a real one, but is essentially a market issue and outside the purview of ASTM performance specifications. This concern was the subject of previous negatives votes during the B6 to B20 balloting, and these negatives were either withdrawn or voted non persuasive on that rational. While the issue appears to be outside the purview of ASTM, an informative note may help better inform buyers and sellers of this issue. This ballot, therefore, proposes the addition of a NOTE that outlines the need to insure that addition of biodiesel does not cause the resulting blend to be outside the allowable limit in D975 of 5% biodiesel. A similar note is being added to the D7467 standard.
Keywords
biodiesel; biodiesel blend; diesel; fuel oil; petroleum and petroleum products; Diesel engine fuel oils--specifications; Petroleum products--specifications; Temperature tests--petroleum products
Citing ASTM Standards
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