Biodiesel—what it is, and what we can do.

BIODIESEL, AN OVERVIEW
Put simply, it’s “green” fuel that is processed from renewable vegetable sources—mainly soybeans and corn. And it’s making headlines—especially in Europe and the US, both big consumers of crude oil—because it is less harmful to the environment.

As fossil and “green” fuels burn, they release CO₂ to the atmosphere—identified as the major cause of global warming. But, unlike fossil fuels, biogenic fuels add some “balance” to the process, because in their original plant forms they take in CO₂ (as part of their natural growth cycle). And their fully biodegradable origin is yet another eco-friendly fact in their favor.

Ethanol and biogas (a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide that is generated when bacteria decompose biomass in the absence of oxygen—anaerobic digestion), are the two best-known biofuels; however, fatty acid methyl ester—nicknamed “FAME” and commonly referred to as biodiesel—has come on the market and is gaining momentum. It is derived mainly from oil seeds and used either in pure form or mixed with conventional diesel fuel.

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has strict quality assurance procedures that all biofuel laboratories must follow. Compliance with ASTM methods is mandatory. But you don’t have to worry—we know them. And our instruments perform them. Click here to see which standards Metrohm instruments meet.

Click here to meet just a few of our in-house biodiesel experts. They can talk in-depth with you about our products for your ASTM methods, which include:

• Metrohm Rancimat^® for oxidative stability testing
• Metrohm Karl Fischer titrators for moisture determination
• Metrohm potentiometric titrators for free fatty acid & total acidity (FFA/TAN) measurements