Increased interest in low carbon biodiesel, with Low Carbon Fuel Standard initiatives and an increasing demand for Bioheat on the East Coast to move towards B50 – B100, has heightened interest in using the fuel pipeline system to move biodiesel blends from the Gulf Coast petroleum/biodiesel complex northward.

Over the last several years, the NBB has demonstrated the means and levels needed to address flight safety risks from biodiesel contamination in jet fuel. However, there remains a small number of jet engine manufacturers that are hesitant to approve of the allowable limits necessary to facilitate biodiesel shipments on most pipelines. NBB will work with those skeptical manufacturers, the airlines desiring to achieve further sustainability and low carbon goals, and pipelines willing to help demonstrate the steps to be taken to assure safe, fit-for-purpose batches of jet fuel.

Several key pieces of technical data are needed to encourage/support increased shipment of biodiesel blends on pipelines in the US that also carry jet fuel. The first is increasing approval of biodiesel in the current jet fuel standard, ASTM D1655, as well as ongoing maintenance and education of best practices regarding biodiesel level detection at pre-airfield terminals.

Updated January 5, 2022:
A growing criticism from biodiesel’s detractors and regulatory agencies is the potential inability to transport and distribute greater quantities of biodiesel where needed, particularly in places such as the Northeast to meet the growing demands for the heating oil market. The fuel distribution system would be unable to handle the total number of trucks and railcars that would be needed as the heating oil industry moves towards B100 to reduce their carbon footprint. Pipeline movements would allow for higher volumes to be moved and at a lower cost than is currently possible. However, to do so pipeline companies would need to ensure and prevent cross contamination from biodiesel into batches of jet fuel moved along the pipe.

Previously, the National Biodiesel Board worked with the airline industry to prove that 400-ppm “contamination” is not a flight safety risk. According to industry protocols, airlines are unwilling and unable to approve levels more than 25% of the tested levels. Being conservative, the industry initially placed a limit of 50-ppm allowance of biodiesel in jet fuel batches to determine feasibility of pipeline movements. While there have been some trial runs, pipeline companies are concerned over this tight limit, and are unwilling to jeopardize jet fuel shipments now that one engine manufacturer has expressed additional concerns over this lower limit.

The current work is toward designing one last project to help alleviate any concerns at 100-ppm allowances, that would lead to an ASTM specification and a comfort level for pipeline companies to begin commercial B5 and potentially B20 shipments.

Growth of biodiesel production & use will be key to profitability at the soybean producer level as well as throughout the value chain. As a leading biodiesel production state, Missouri soybean farmers will benefit by providing another alternative use for higher volumes of biodiesel in conjunction with lowering the transportation costs for the fuel to needed markets. Higher volumes of biodiesel, with lower transportation costs, should help to assure higher profitability throughout the biodiesel supply chain.