An additive to biodiesel has been approved by the State of Texas for its low-emission program.
ORYXE Energy International’s ORYXE(R) LED for Biodiesel has received an unprecedented approval for use in the Texas Low Emission Diesel Program (TxLED). This press release from the company says it means fuel producers will be able to use the additive at a lower treat rate in biodiesel blends up to B20:
Under extensive testing at the West Virginia University Engine and Emissions Research Laboratory, ORYXE LED for Biodiesel eliminated the bump in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) associated with biodiesel. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report summarizing published studies shows that biodiesel reduces all regulated emissions, with the exception of NOx.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) recently developed an alternative testing protocol for biodiesel blends. Under the original protocol, B20 fuel (80% EPA diesel and 20% biodiesel) treated with the ORYXE additive was tested against a clean, prescriptively blended TxLED fuel. The significant difference in the new protocol is that the petroleum diesel component of the B20 fuel can now be TxLED-compliant, instead of EPA diesel. Therefore, the additive only has to address the increased NOx created from the biodiesel portion of the blend.
“The additional approval is great news for Texas air quality as well as our customers. They can now utilize ORYXE technology more economically to comply with the low-emission diesel standards established for Texas,” said James M. Cleary, ORYXE Energy chairman and chief executive officer. “The fact that our product is the only additive to pass two different tests says a great deal about the effectiveness of our technology to reduce NOx.”
Company officials say the key is the lower treat rate at 1.25 milliliters per gallon of the biodiesel blend, which will mean biodiesel and regular diesel sellers can use the one additive for either fuel.