Web exclusive posted Sept. 22, 2008 at 3:47 p.m. CST

Biodiesel expert Hoon Ge, a fuel consultant for Golden Valley, Minn.-based Mef Corp., testified Sept. 16 at the Wisconsin Legislature's Special Committee on Biofuels at the State Capital in Madison, Wis. Ge spoke to attendees about the value of using biodiesel in Wisconsin and the logistics associated with production, transportation and consumption within the state.

Ge, who has been working in the biodiesel industry for approximately three years, has a background in petroleum products. He serves as a consultant for the National Biodiesel Board and other fuel distributors on a variety of fuel-related issues. Ge was hired three years ago to help deal with filter plugging issues associated with biodiesel use. some of the problems holding back the implementation of biodiesel. According to Ge, most of these problems have stemmed from issues with off-spec product and cold weather-related issues.

During his testimony in Wisconsin, Ge spoke about Minnesota's biodiesel mandate, and noted that in terms of product availability, Wisconsin should have no problem implementing a similar program. He also shared information regarding infrastructure problems, such as the need for heated storage tanks, which need to be addressed when using biodiesel in areas with cold winters.

The United States is currently producing enough biodiesel to meet the 500 million gallon renewable fuels standard (RFS) for next year, Ge said. He estimates that American production will reach 550 million gallons this year, but it will sell approximately 250 million gallon of that production to Europe.

In 2006, one-third of the problems Ge said he has seen with biodiesel can be attributed to high glycerin levels in off-spec B100 products that clog fuel filters. Today, most filter plugging issues can be attributed to high water concentration, microbial contamination or oxidation.

Following the presentation, Ge told Biodiesel Magazine, based on random sampling tests since the implementation of BQ-9000, more than 90 percent of all biodiesel produced in the United States meets the required specification. BQ-9000 producers met the specification 100 percent of the time, he added.

During his testimony, Ge also addressed claims that biodiesel increases mileage in vehicles, explaining that fuel economy actually drops slightly. However, in older vehicles that switch to biodiesel, some improvement in fuel economy might be experienced because the fuel cleans deposits out of the engine and can sometimes cause them to run more efficiently.

Ge also presented information citing water and bacteria growth as problems that have limited the implementation of biodiesel use.