BBI International, in partnership with the National Biodiesel Board, is hosting a one-day Bioheat workshop Oct. 11 in Pittsburgh: Bioheat Northeast.

The event will be co-located with BBI International’s Northeast Biomass Conference & Trade Show, which follows later in the week.

The Bioheat workshop agenda, largely developed by my editorial staff and I here at Biodiesel Magazine, will include a keynote conversation between the president of the National Oilheat Research Alliance, John Huber, and CEO of the National Biodiesel Board, Joe Jobe; and four panels in the technical, policy, distribution, and markets and use tracks.

We will officially begin marketing this workshop and opening registration very soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here is a sneak preview of the technical panel and its speakers. I also want to give a special thanks to Steve Howell for his work in helping secure the expert speakers on this particular panel (below).

The Path Forward: ASTM Specs, Technical Issues and Solutions

 A few years ago, ASTM approved inclusion of up to 5 percent biodiesel in D396, the heating oil spec. The biodiesel and oilheat industries have formed a Bioheat Technical Steering Committee to spearhead the technical effort needed to support higher levels of biodiesel in the Bioheat market.  What are the industry plans for moving forward with higher levels of biodiesel in ASTM D396?  What levels can be used in existing burners without changing equipment?  What’s the industry’s “move forward,” or progressive, blend and why?  How does biodiesel affect NOx in home heating oil applications?  Come hear from this panel of industry insiders and technical masters to discover biodiesel-blended heating oil’s path forward.

• John Huber, President, NORA - National Oilheat Research Alliance
• Tom Butcher, Brookhaven National Laboratory
• Vic Turk, RW Beckett and Chairman, ASTM Heating Oil Section 
• Steve Howell, MARC-IV Consulting and  Chairman, ASTM Biodiesel Task Force