Diesel Consortium Formed

March 25, 2002

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and E-diesel stakeholders have announced the formation of an "E-diesel Consortium" to address the emerging technical, regulatory, and developmental issues associated with the future viability of E-diesel.

Bob Reynolds, president of Downstream Alternatives Inc. and steering committee chair during the E-diesel Consortium formative stage, said, "There are a number of issues to be examined before E-diesel commercial viability can be determined. Such issues include flash point, durability and emissions testing, and other fuel specification issues. The consortium will develop a program of testing and research and identify funding sources to conduct the work."

With support from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fuels Development and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, E-diesel stakeholders explored various structural options and agreed to form the consortium as a committee of the Renewable Fuels Foundation, the non-profit educational and research arm of the RFA.

RFA president Bob Dinneen stated, "I am pleased that the E-diesel stakeholders elected to form their consortium under the structure of the Renewable Fuels Foundation. This provides immediate infrastructure support as well as enabling the E-diesel Consortium to draw on the significant technical expertise of the RFA Technical Committee. There are a number of technical questions to be answered and this forum will allow us to begin that work in earnest."

E-diesel is a blend of diesel, up to 15% ethanol, and one of several proprietary additives to keep the ethanol emulsified during all conditions. A number of on-road and off-road fleet demonstrations have shown E-diesel has the potential to reduce emissions from diesel engines, especially particulate emissions. Due to variability among applications and duty cycles, additional controlled testing is needed to answer questions from diesel engine manufacturers. E-diesel will also undergo health effects testing before seeking approval for widespread commercial application.

Consortium members include RFA, National Corn Growers Association, Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, AAE Technologies/Octel Starreon, Akzo-Nobel, BetzDearborn, Lubrizol, Pure Energy, and state and federal government agencies. For additional information on the activities of the E-diesel Consortium contact: Robert E. Reynolds, Downstream Alternatives Inc., 574-231-8974 (phone), reynoldsatdai@compuserve.com.