The central notion behind the need for Biodiesel Quality Management is that the quality of biodiesel fuel can change after it leaves the hands of the producer. While all diesel fuels can undergo these changes, the nature of biodiesel makes it particularly susceptible to accumulation of water, degradation, and microbial growth. This means that you could obtain the highest quality biodiesel from the best producer in the world and still wind up with bad fuel. Indeed, there are too many examples of fleets that have used biodiesel successfully for years only to one day experience partial or total shut-down of their fleet because of poor quality fuel. These types of events are expensive in terms of repairs and downtime - and they are completely avoidable by taking some simple and inexpensive precautions. The recipe for successful biodiesel use consists of 1) preparation of vehicles and fuel systems, and 2) fuel quality management. Proper preparation is easy and is discussed in the Fleet Services section of our website. Fuel quality management sounds complicated, but in fact it is even easier than preparation. Fleet's Biodiesel Quality Management program is based on a combination of field testing (using our Biodiesel Field Test kits) and periodic laboratory analysis of samples from fuel storage tanks.
What happens when field or lab tests indicate that your fuel is "bad"? The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, including: type and level of contamination, volume of fuel, environmental factors, fuel composition or blend, and geographic location. Solutions can range from simply adding more (good) fuel, to a combination of using additives and filtering methods to remediate the fuel. One of the tremendous advantages of using biodiesel is that your vehicles remain totally compatible with standard #2 petro-diesel fuel. As such, end users can make contingency plans for powering their vehicles on other sources of fuel. Fleet Biodiesel works with fleet managers to develop fuel remediation and alternative fuel contingency plans. Specific remediation steps are discussed in the Biodiesel Fuel Remediation section of the website.