AGQM Focus Seminar for Analysts and Plant Operators

New Requirements on Biodiesel and Biodiesel blends: New Filtration methods to Characterize Impurities (November 18th, 19th and 20th 2009)

AGQM is announcing its forthcoming Focus Seminar for Analysts and Plant Operators. It will be held from 18.11.-20.11.09 at ASG Analytik Service GmbH, Neusaess near Augsburg/ Germany. The Seminar will provide you with expert contributions, hands-on training and excellent opportunities for networking and professional exchange with other plant operating and laboratory experts. As the Seminar title "New requirements on Biodiesel and Biodiesel blends: New Filtration methods to Characterize Impurities" implicates, the workshop will focus on problems that arise from minor components in the Biodiesel. It is supposed that in particular Sterol Glucosides (SG) and Acylated Sterol Glucosides (ASG) may cause severe problems along the logistic chain and during the use in vehicles.

Experiences during the last years have shown that a Biodiesel can fail in application by precipitations, although the specifications are met. These precipitations can cause sludge formation in tanks and filter blocking in Biodiesel production facilities, tank farms, filling stations and vehicles. The main reason for this behaviour which can be observed in the case of B100 but also in blended mineral oil based fuels is the presence of SG and ASG in the Biodiesel.

Because of the serious technical problems caused by the above mentioned precipitations the mineral oil companies have started getting alert. They have set new specifications for Biodiesel as blend component (that exceed the DIN EN 14214) to get these problems under control. As the natural scientific interrelations are not yet fully understood and test methods (as well for SG/ASG as for filtration performance) are still under discussion, these new specifications are difficult to achieve for Biodiesel producers.

Furthermore, these additional specifications differ from one mineral oil company to another. What is more, customer complaints can force Biodiesel producers to take whole batches of biodiesel back.

AGQM has been active in this field for quite some time: AGQM is performing an analytical monitoring program that is linked with its regular member quality control procedures. In addition to this, the American Soybeen Association (ASA) has granted a joint research project by OVID (Association of the Oilseed Crushing and Oil Refining Industry in Germany) and AGQM. The aim of this project is threefold: 1) to monitor SG- and ASG-contents in pure plant oils, 2) to assess the impact of the oil milling and refining technology on the reduction of SG/ASG-contents and 3) to produce and test Biodiesel from the analyzed plant oils. Dr. Haupt, AGQM`s quality expert, will refer to the provisional findings that have been made in his contribution.

We would appreciate to welcome you on the occasion of our Focus Seminar.

You find attached a pre-registration form. Pre-registrants will be preferred in the registration procedure.