Quality

Fall 2009 / Case Study

wood chip biodiesel

By Luc Blais

RolfQuo Biodiesel is a mid-sized commercial biodiesel producer situated at 18900 Clark Graham in Baie D'Urfe Quebec, Canada. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with owner Andy Quosdorf and his plant manager, Kai Maddock, to discuss their operation and some of the innovative methods they use in producing quality biodiesel.....[MORE]

Fall 2009

surprise! it's the EPA!

By Jason Burroughs

Recently, two men from Bionetics, an EPA contractor, paid DieselGreen Fuels an unannounced visit. They asked to see samples of my biodiesel, thinking I was a producer. I explained that I was only a distributor, but they still wanted samples. After calling the EPA to confirm they were for real, I gave them samples from our tank and explained what we do.....[MORE]

Fall 2009 / Golden Meniscus

quality control decoded

By Kumar Plocher

In order to know which fuel quality tests you need to perform, and how frequently you need to perform them, you need to know what your goals are.....[MORE]

Spring 2009 / From the Control Room

in communicado

By Lyle Estill

I recently read Jason Del Gandio's marvelous book, Rhetoric for Radicals, and I could not stop myself from running it through the filter of our project, which is Piedmont Biofuels.At Piedmont Biofuels, we have been effective at communication. We have.......[MORE]

Winter 2008 / Editor's Query

hidden sludge hazards

By Bill and Cathy Schell

These three pictures show buildup in a tank that stored petroleum diesel for heating a home. This fuel tank was taken out a basement of a house, and we assume it served the house for approximately 20 to 25.......[MORE]

Winter 2008 / Spanking Ester

glycerides? who gives a drip!

By Leif Forer

Dear Ester~ How much is too much total glycerin in your biodiesel? Sure, the ASTM max is 0.24%, but where did that number come from? If you have 2.4%, is that really so much worse? Don't SVO'ers have 100%?.......[MORE]

Winter 2008

catalyst: how much?

By Dr. Jon Van Gerpen

Most homebrewers recognize the need to titrate their oil before making biodiesel to determine the amount of catalyst needed. Free fatty acids (FFAs) in the oil will deactivate a portion of the catalyst, so the amount of catalyst must.......[MORE]

Winter 2008 / Editor's Letter

first rule of repair:

By Frankie Abralind

When it comes to biodiesel performance, one single issue causes more heartache than any other for new B100 users. It's the clogged fuel filter. A friend recently came to visit on a mild Autumn day, driving his recently-purchased 1995.......[MORE]

Spring 2008 / Golden Meniscus

To BQ or Not to BQ - Is That the Question?

By Kumar Plocher

As I prepare to head off to Orlando for the NBB Conference and Sustainable Biodiesel Summit, my thoughts turn to the BQ-9000 "cooperative and voluntary" accreditation program. The NBB will no doubt be crowing loudly about it once again........[MORE]