Easier Than Ever: Testing Services Are Abundant, and There’s a Reason Why

by Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) ...Although changes brought on by the onset of new testing procedures like cold soak filtration and the weeding-out effect created by the inconsistent tax incentive have made the industry stronger, they have also made it more difficult for new biodiesel startups to be successful, Coonfare says, at least if they want to test their own fuel. “I know a lot of people want to get certified and get their lab certified, but it is hard,” he says. By hard, Coonfare means financially difficult.

...For instance, a basic testing package offered by Midwest Labs that includes testing for flash point, sulfur, free glycerin, total glycerin, oxidation stability, phosphorus, carbon residue, cetane and a number of other variables, costs $800. A typical company may perform two to three tests per week, or the financial equivalent of one employee.

...Although the Cognis QTA biodiesel test based on infrared spectroscopy may not provide every single testing option when compared to that of different methods used by people like Coonfare and company, there is no arguing that in an astounding two minutes the QTA version is the quickest way to test biodiesel for methanol, cloud point, total and free glycerin.

...“There is always a debate about the incentives, but most of our existing clients, or our believers,” Ma says, “follow the mandate of the RFS2 rather than the incentive.” As long as there is a mandate, he says, “there is always a demand.”

...Mark Hall, Alabama Cooperative Extension Services sustainable energy specialist, has received so many calls from startup biodiesel producers and cities in Alabama seeking information on biodiesel testing that he teamed up with Tim McDonald, associate professor of biosystems engineering at Auburn University, to explain the basics of biodiesel testing.

“We aren’t talking about biodiesel to sell, we are talking about biodiesel to use,” Hall explains. “If you are going to make your own biodiesel, what testing do you need to do?” As McDonald explains, the answer for those cities looking to make biodiesel for their own fleets without intent to sell is to look at total and free glycerin, and the pH of the fuel. READ MORE