Iowa laboratory accredited to biodiesel industry ‘gold’ standard

August 10, 2010

A non-profit laboratory in Fort Dodge, Iowa, has become the first to be accredited under the biodiesel industry’s “gold standard”, the BQ-9000.

The Iowa Central Fuel Testing Laboratory is located at the Iowa Central Community College, providing testing for biodiesel producers and suppliers nationwide, as well as testing other forms of biofuel.

Its accreditation came from the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission, which oversees the BQ-9000 voluntary quality assurance program.

“Pursuing BQ-9000 was a good business decision,” said Don Heck, the laboratory’s director. “Anyone can set up a lab, but how do you set up a lab with teeth? This gives us instant credibility compared to our competitors.”

Accreditation

Gaining accreditation will allow the laboratory to work with the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s Weights and Measures Bureau, which is required by law to work with accredited facilities in testing fuel for fuel pumps.

Working toward the accreditation involved an independent audit of the laboratory facility, along with the creation of a detailed manual of the lab’s biodiesel testing procedures.

The laboratory received congratulations from the National Biodiesel Board, which said there was a need for credible laboratories to test fuel samples.

Steve Howell, NBB technical director, said: “This will help streamline the process of ensuring only high quality biodiesel makes it into the commercial marketplace.”

To date 62 biodiesel producers and marketers are now BQ-9000 certified companies, representing around 75-80% of US biodiesel production volume.