UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Some people, depending on their definitions of the term "soy-diesel," may have misinterpreted recent warnings from an expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences on the dangers of burning soy-diesel blended with diesel fuel in engines.

According to Dennis Buffington, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, the term "bio-diesel" is the modern term for transesterfied oil (whether its origin is vegetable, animal or spent cooking oil).

"Bio-diesel meets ASTM Fuel Grade Standards PS-121 and it is perfectly safe and advisable to burn bio-diesel straight or blended with conventional diesel fuel in diesel engines," Buffington says. "In some regions of the country, the term 'soy-diesel' is still being used to refer to bio-diesel that is derived from soybean oil."

In these regions, explains Buffington, the use of soy-diesel, either straight or blended with diesel fuel, is likewise perfectly safe and advisable since this fuel also meets the ASTM standards as well as pertinent government regulations.

However, in some parts of the country, the term "soy-diesel" currently is being used to refer to raw soybean oil that is blended with diesel fuel along with an additive.

"Although engines will run short term on this mixture, the mixture does not meet ASTM standards," says Buffington. "It does not meet government regulations, and users risk damaging their engines."

The bottom line, Buffington warns, is "buyer beware" of what he or she is purchasing to use as a fuel in an engine.

"If there is any doubt," says Buffington, "the consumer should check the operator's manual and a certified fuel supplier to determine the proper fuel for optimal performance and service life of the engine."

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EDITORS: Dennis Buffington can be contacted at 814-865-2971 or buffington@psu.edu.

Contact:

Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax