ASTM Releases B20 Specifications

STREATOR, Ill. (DTN) -- Residents and building owners can now use heating oil with blends up to 20% biodiesel under specifications released Tuesday, March 24, by the ASTM International, the organization which sets industry consensus standards for fuels.

The new performance specifications for blends of 6% to 20% biodiesel with traditional heating oil or for blending into existing No. 1 and No. 2 grades in ASTM D396 already covered up to 5% biodiesel or less.

The blend, branded Bioheat, has already been commonly in use for blends up to 20%, and in some cases up to 30% or 40% even before the standard was finalized.

"The oil heat industry is reinventing itself as a 21st century fuel by moving to higher blends of low-carbon biodiesel and ultra-low sulfur levels across the board," said John Huber, president of the National Oilheat Research Alliance.

The new B6-B20 grade is a blend of all the parameters contained in the existing No. 1 and No. 2 oil heat grades, but adds parameters for stability and allows a slightly higher distillation temperature for the blends. The changes are the same as those for B6-B20 in on- and off-road diesel fuel passed by ASTM in 2008.

"The data set behind these changes is one of the most extensive I've seen in more than 20 years at ASTM," said Steve Howell of M4 Consulting, an ASTM Fellow who chairs the ASTM Biodiesel Task Force. "Having an official standard for higher biodiesel blends in heating oil will help foster consumer confidence, and give blenders and distributors a needed tool to incorporate more low-carbon, ultra-low sulfur biodiesel into heating oil."

With this accomplishment, Howell said work would now begin on the next level of research needed to secure official specifications for even higher blends of biodiesel in heating oil. This will likely extend to the use of pure biodiesel (B100), a stated goal of the oil heat industry.

"Brookhaven National Laboratory surveys of customers already using biodiesel blends not only showed similar or better experience than with traditional fuel oil, they also showed many already use B20 or higher blends with great success," Howell said.

Traditional petroleum-based heating oil companies that have made the switch to Bioheat fuel agree.

"The technical data with this ballot for the new B6-B20 grade verified what we have known for years -- that B20 made with high-quality biodiesel works well," said Seth Obetz, president of Pennsylvania-based Bioheat distributor Worley and Obetz. "We have marketed high-quality B20 for 14 years and our customers see fewer problems with B20 than with conventional heating oil."

The official vote to change the standard took place at the December 2014 ASTM meeting. At that meeting, wholesale fuel provider Amerigreen reported that it has more than 100,000 B20 customers. The company said that number is growing in part because Bioheat fuel customers see less maintenance than with conventional fuel oil.

(BM/AG)

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