The home heating oil industry has a long and proud history, and Fuel Oil News has been there supporting it since 1935. It is an industry that has faced many challenges during that time. In its 77th year, Fuel Oil News is doing more than just holding
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www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | JULY 2015 31 BUSINESS OPERATIONS BY STEPHEN BENNETT B lends of up to 20% biodiesel and 80% fuel oil used in basic burner equipment perform equal to, if not better than, 100% fuel oil according to Developing a Renewable Biofuel Option for the Home Heating Sector, a report by the National Oilheat Research Alliance. But some manufacturers take the position that the elasto- mers in small fuel pumps used in heating oil systems should be replaced if a blend over 5% is used. Congress required NORA to prepare the report, cover- ing the utilization rate of biodiesel, and an analysis of the use of biofuels in oilheating equipment. Environmental and economic benefits and technical limitations on the use of bio- fuels in oilheat fuel equipment are explored, as well as market acceptance of the fuel. Submitted to Congress, state governments and the Environmental Protection Agency, the report was issued in May, and was the subject of a presentation that month at the Atlantic Region Energy Expo in Atlantic City. NORA's work to date, the Alliance noted, has focused on the viability and utilization of biodiesel in the fuel oil industry; it has been joined by the National Biodiesel Board in supporting expansion of the use of the fuel. The two organizations together have supported a number of proj- ects. Brookhaven National Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University and Underwriters Laboratory, with the Alliance and the NBB, conducted the research that showed that blends containing up to 20% biodiesel with 80% conventional fuel oil have equivalent performance to 100% conventional fuel oil, NORA noted in the report. "Biodiesel blends provide added lubricity and a higher, safer flash point than conventional fuel oils, while having higher cold flow properties and slightly higher viscosity," the report said. In a section treating the environmental advantages of bio- diesel, the Alliance noted, "One of the biggest transitions in heating oil has been the move to ultra-low sulfur heating oil. This fuel lowers maintenance, improves efficiency and reduces pollution from heating systems." Further, the fuel is "paving the way for the next generation of equipment," the report said, "which may mean lower-cost materials and more compact boilers and furnaces." The industry has been working with regulators and down- stream fuel providers to switch to ULSHO. The report listed eight states—Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont—that have set dates by which fuel oil can contain no more than 15 ppm sulfur. Maryland and Pennsylvania each have set deadlines by which fuel oil can contain no more than 500 ppm sulfur, the report noted. Moreover, blended ULSHO containing less than 20% biodiesel is "equivalent" to natural gas with respect to carbon dioxide emissions using a 100-year atmospheric lifetime and accounting for the impact of indirect land use, according to EPA data from the Renewable Fuel Standard 2, the report said. B-20 Biodiesel blends at 20% with ULSHO are lower in greenhouse gas emissions than natural gas when evaluated over 100 years, the report said; B-2 blends of 2% (or more) are lower in GHG than natural gas when evaluated over twenty years, according to the report. Further, "any ULSHO and biodiesel blend is equally clean in criteria pollutants and particulates," the report stated. Biodiesel fuel and the move to renewable fuels present "exciting opportunities" for the heating oil industry and its customers, the report said. The transition to renewable fuels can be made with "no required or minimal upfront costs" to consumers, thus avoiding a "significant barrier." The transi- tion also provides an opportunity for local oil heat dealers to continue to serve their customers and to provide local jobs in service, marketing and management. "Heating oil has continued to take steps to reduce its emis- sions profile and the recent reduction in sulfur in fuel is a sig- nificant step forward, and puts emissions of criteria pollutants on par with natural gas," the Alliance said. "In the short term," a transition to low levels of biodiesel in heating oil "may be the most cost-effective method to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," while "a movement to natural gas may be far less effective," the report stated. The short-term goal of the industry to move to higher levels of biodiesel content (more than 20%) "may require some tech- nological changes in heating equipment," the report concluded. The Alliance and the NBB are continuing to work to develop a 100% biodiesel fuel that will be suitable for heating oil applica- tions, and a burner that can be used to burn 100% biodiesel. The complete 42-page report is available at the NORA web- site: noraweb.org. NORA: B20 Outperforms Natural Gas In a report to Congress, the National Oilheat Research Alliance looks to a cleaner, greener future l F O N