A full three-quarters of all the biodiesel produced in the U.S. now meets the important BQ-9000 certification… a standard that couples the foundations of universally accepted quality management systems with the product specification ASTM D 6751, and has become the premier quality designation in the industry.

This press release from the National Biodiesel Board says six companies picked up the certification this week… the largest group to ever achieve the quality standard at one time:

“BQ-9000 companies dominate the industry with 75% of biodiesel produced in the US, which is a huge achievement,” said Leland Tong, Chairman of the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission which is the governing body for the BQ-9000 program. “I think that demonstrates the market power of BQ-9000.”

A 2008 study by Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows the biodiesel industry has achieved a high degree of success in meeting national fuel quality standards. The study demonstrated that plants certified under BQ-9000 fared the best. BQ-9000 producers consistently hit the mark, no matter how large or small the plant.

The six that just made the certification include biodiesel marketer Downs Company of Corona, Calif.; Piedmont Biofuels of Pittsboro, N.C.; Beacon Energy Corp. of Cleburne, Texas ; Lake Erie Biofuels of Erie, Pa.; Paseo Cargill Energy of Kansas City, Mo.; and Ag Processing Inc. (AGP) of St. Joseph, Mo.