The market launch of diesel fuel with a maximum seven percent by volume of biodiesel (B7) will be beginning throughout Germany, according to information from the Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants Association (UFOP).
The new diesel fuel can be identified by the DIN 51628 label at German fuel dispensers.
UFOP, based in Berlin, Germany, noted that the required regulatory instruments have been provided to increase the sale of biodiesel by blending seven percent instead of five percent. This increases the potential German sales volume of biodiesel from approximately 1.5 million metric tonnes now to 2.1 million metric tons.
"In view of the mounting public discussion about the sustainable production of raw materials for use as biofuel UFOP assumes that the mineral oil companies will exclusively buy rapeseed oil methyl ester," the association stated. "Rapeseed from indigenous or European cultivation complies with the requirements of sustainable raw material production. Besides, the natural fatty acid structure of biodiesel from rapeseed makes the substance an excellent candidate that meets the cold season characteristics of diesel fuel."