B10 for more climate protection through the existing fleet
Drivers can make an active contribution to climate protection by refuelling with B10. The B10 fleet trial successfully completed by AGQM and its partners shows that the use of diesel fuel with an admixture of 10% biodiesel (B10) in the existing fleet is practicable.
‘In view of the expected decline in diesel vehicle sales by 2035, reducing the CO₂ footprint of the existing fleet remains crucial to achieving the European climate targets,’ explains Katharina Friedrich, Manager of AGQM Biodiesel. ‘As pure regenerative fuels are still rarely used in the passenger car sector, we are focussing on higher blends such as B10. However, some approvals from car manufacturers for this fuel are still missing. But our project shows that B10 is technically feasible and practical.’
AGQM Biodiesel started the B10 project together with Coburg University of Applied Sciences and was also supported by Volkswagen AG, the RENAFAN Group and the Association of the German Biofuel Industry.
The B10 project included tests of the fuel blends B7, B10 and B30 as well as the fuels R33 (7 vol% FAME and 26 vol% HVO - Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) and R51 (10 vol% FAME and 41 vol% HVO) developed at Coburg University of Applied Sciences, which were analysed regarding fuel ageing and fuel/engine oil ageing. The tests on the vehicle dynamometer and during real-world driving included various driving profiles (short and long distance) with a focus on engine oil dilution.
All tested fuel mixtures achieved induction times of over 40 hours during thermo-oxidative fuel ageing and thus clearly exceeded the requirements of the fuel standards. The chemical analyses of fuel-engine oil ageing showed that all samples achieved the induction times for engine oil ageing. In the tests on engine oil dilution on the vehicle dynamometer and in real operation, the fuels B7 and B10 showed similar dilution levels. In addition, all tested fuels met the Euro 6d limits in the mandatory measurement procedure of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Duty Test Procedure (WLTP) and remained inconspicuous in terms of CH2O, NH3 and N2O emissions.
‘We want to use our project results to actively enter into dialogue with car manufacturers,’ emphasises Katharina Friedrich. ‘Our goal is to convince those manufacturers who have not yet issued B10 approvals to approve them for existing and future vehicle models.’
The short report with detailed results of the project is now available for download on the AGQM homepage https://www.agqm-biodiesel.com/en/research/research-reports.
