Quick and  cheap biodiesel quality test.

The visual test can be performed by almost anyone in the field with solid results in 10 minutes. The Biodiesel Test comes with 9 test vials and one reference vial.  Each vial can be used to test one sample.  

In order to perform a test, fill the test vial containing reference solution with the same amount of B100. Then simply flip the sealed sample 10 times and wait 10 minutes to gauge initial quality results.

The Biodiesel Test is a major breakthrough in Biodiesel Quality Testing. The test is an inexpensive  quality test that provides a visual check that is nearly as sensitive as the quantitative ASTM tests in detecting dissolved contaminants.   

The visual test was developed to be a "Firewall" for bad fuel in commercial settings where a quick inexpensive method of screening samples before they were sent to the lab for full ASTM/EN14214 testing.

The optical biodiesel quality test arrives as a godsend to the biodiesel homebrewers.  Until now the only affordable quality test for glycerides available to homebrewers has been "Will it work in my truck?".  To fail the "Will it run in my truck?" test sometimes resulted in expensive engine and fuel system repairs.  

Biodiesel homebrewers now have the tool they need for process improvement without continuous ASTM testing at every step.  The visual Test can be used to weed out bad process techniques and identify good ones.  Once a process has been developed using the test as a guide, only a single sample needs to be ASTM tested to completely vet the process.   

The Biodiesel Test has been in testing for a year and has been proven to be a solid quality test with the ability to clearly indicate High Quality B100.  

Disclaimer: The vistual Test is not a substitute for the rigorous analytical testing needed to confirm B100 meets ASTM 6751 or  EN14214 specifications.  Further, ONT Biopaliwa cannot be held responsible for misunderstandings of the kit's test results that would lead anyone to use off-spec fuel in a diesel engine.

The test kit will be shipped from Poland with the shipping rates calculated based on weight of the total order. 

More about biodiesel visual test:

To facilitate its use at a terminal or in a plant, the Test relies on the visual identification of various distinctions in the fuel to be tested and the dyed aqueous solution provided in the test vial—and the interface between—which are then visually compared to an on-spec reference B100 sample provided with the kit.

The Test has a variety of applications, but the most practical one is testing aged biodiesel—the older the biodiesel, the more acidic it becomes. As the pH drops, the solution color shifts from its original red to orange and then yellow for the more acidic samples.

Another practical application for the test is detecting the presence of catalyst in biodiesel. Von Wedel has witnessed some serious engine problems over the years due to traces of the hydroxide (lye) present in the fuel. The indicator solution color changes from red to purple when the B100 contains residues of catalyst.

Soaps, monoglycerides, diglycerides and triglycerides can all be quick-tested too. The presence of these contaminants make the fuel portion of the sample vial (top) look turbid, but the interface between the B100 and the indicator solution accumulates visible residues, rather than having a razor-sharp reflection von Wedel referred to as the “mirror finish.”
The accumulation of residues in actuality is a signal amplification that pushes the sensitivity of the assay near the ASTM limits for total glycerin contamination. The focusing of residues at the interface with the signal amplification combine to form the ‘lens effect.

The main purpose of this test is to act as a “firewall,” blocking potentially out-of-spec fuel from getting into the supply chain. “If the visual Test reveals a problem, we suggest getting those samples to a lab for testing immediately,” von Wedel warned.