Laughing Stock Farm, Freeport, Maine

The History of Legitimate Biodiesel Commercialization in the U.S.

To understand the origin of Maine's definition, consider the history of what we now call biodiesel. During the energy crisis of the 1970s, researchers began reevaluating the esterification process that was discovered in 1846, and demonstrated as a motor fuel by Rudolf Diesel in the 1880s. Esterification is the process that converts the fatty acids in vegetable and animal fats to the esters that are biodiesel. While consumers were facing fuel shortages, soy farmers were being paid not to grow soy, because the surpluses at that time made the markets unstable. The soy farmers understood esterification and the fact that producing soy for fuel made more sense than being paid not to grow the crop. This occurred at the same time that the Clean Air Act first passed Congress.

Those interested in biodiesel commercialization including the soy farmers, USDA, DOE, and EPA then identified two requirements for successful commercialization in the United States: first, acceptance by engine manufacturers considering engine performance and longevity; and second, acceptance by the EPA under the Clean Air Act. The private National Biodiesel Board (NBB) was established to coordinate activities toward these goals, with development of a national technical standard as the focal point for both goals.

For more than 20 years, many companies and universities researched the effects on many types of diesel engines of biodiesel that was made from different "recipes." Engines were run on biodiesel, then taken apart and studied. The starting point was unconverted vegetable oil that caused engines to fail after only a short time. From this, researchers found what concentrations of which impurities damaged diesel engines, and which concentrations were safe. The American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) is the recognized authority in the United States for defining specifications for product quality and for the test methods used to confirm the specifications. An ASTM committee was formed in 1994 that consisted of engine manufacturers, fuel manufacturers, government representatives and independent researchers. The committee adopted a preliminary ASTM biodiesel specification in 1999 to specify acceptable characteristics and explain why each is important.

Once researchers understood a biodiesel that would not harm diesel engines, that fuel had to be tested as required by the Clean Air Act. It was subjected to the EPA's Tier 1 health effects and Tier 2 toxicity effects testing to be certain that no adverse effects on people or the environment occurred. After several years and over $2.5 million, the EPA accepted the results. The NBB incurred the full cost of this extensive testing. The specification, ASTM D6751, was adopted in December 2001. This is why you should feel confident when you purchase biodiesel from a reputable dealer.   This is also why you should be concerned about the fuel quality from your small scale biodiesel production.  The hazards and benefits of legitimate biodiesel are well understood.  Unfortunately the hazards of poor quality biodiesel production have not been discussed by the people telling you to make home made biodiesel in Maine.   

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Copyright 2008, Laughing Stock Farm
Last modified: February 01, 2008