EU: Fuels: Biodiesel
EN Biodiesel Standards
Several standards establish the specifications for biodiesel fuels in the European Union:
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- EN 14214 includes specifications for fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) fuel for diesel engines. B100 that meets this standard could be used unblended in a diesel engine (if the engine has been adapted to operate on B100) or blended with petroleum diesel fuel.
- EN 590, the European diesel fuel specification, is also applicable to biodiesel blends up to 7% of FAME.
- EN 16734 covers diesel fuel with biodiesel up to 10% FAME
- EN 16709 covers diesel fuel with 14% to 20% FAME or 24% to 30% FAME
Table 1 summarizes the generally applicable requirements and referee test methods for EN 14214 [6213].
| Property | Unit | Limits | Referee Test Method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. | Max. | |||
| FAME | % (m/m) | 96.5 | - | EN 14103 |
| Density @ 15°C | kg/m3 | 860 | 900 | EN ISO 12185 |
| Viscosity @ 40°C | mm2/s | 3.50 | 5.00 | EN ISO 3104 |
| Flash point | °C | 101 | - | EN ISO 3679 |
| Cetane number | - | 51.0 | - | EN ISO 5165 |
| Copper strip corrosion (3h @ 50°C) | Rating | Class 1 | EN ISO 2160 | |
| Oxidation stability (@110°C | h | 8.0 | - | prEN 15751 |
| Acid value | mg KOH/g | - | 0.50 | EN 14104 |
| Iodine value | g iodine/100g | - | 120 | EN 14111 |
| Linolenic acid methyl ester | % (m/m) | - | 12.0 | EN 14103 |
| Polyunsaturated (≥4 double bonds) methyl esters | % (m/m) | - | 1.00 | EN 15779 |
| Methanol | % (m/m) | - | 0.20 | EN 14110 |
| Monoglycerides | % (m/m) | - | 0.70a | EN 14105 |
| Diglycerides | % (m/m) | - | 0.20 | EN 14105 |
| Triglycerides | % (m/m) | - | 0.20 | EN 14105 |
| Free glycerol | % (m/m) | - | 0.02 | EN 14105 |
| Total glycerol | % (m/m) | - | 0.25 | EN 14105 |
| Water | mg/kg | - | 500 | EN ISO 12937 |
| Total contamination | mg/kg | - | 24 | EN 12662 |
| Sulfated ash | % (m/m) | - | 0.02 | ISO 3987 |
| Sulfur | mg/kg | - | 10.0 | EN ISO 20846 or EN ISO 20884 |
| Group I metals (Na+K) | mg/kg | - | 4.0 | EN 14538 |
| Group II metals (Ca+Mg) | mg/kg | - | 4.0 | EN 14538 |
| Phosphorus | mg/kg | - | 4.0 | EN 14107 |
| a – when blended with diesel fuel, the value in Table 5 applies. | ||||