BQ-9000 Biodiesel Quality Program Welcomes First Canadian Company
Canadian Bioenergy, Others, Say Consumers Demanding Fuel from BQ-9000 Companies

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.– The BQ-9000 biodiesel quality assurance program is becoming the international leader in biodiesel quality assurance. Canadian Bioenergy Corporation has recently become the first BQ-9000 Certified Marketer of biodiesel in Canada. BQ-9000 is a voluntary fuel quality assurance program, adopted by the National Biodiesel Board and the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association.

With international interest in the program, biodiesel consumers in both the U.S. and other nations have begun to search for fuel accordingly.

“Quality is everything -- it's always been our top priority and the BQ-9000 process was a natural evolution for our operations,” said Alex Russell, Assistant Director of Fuel Operations at Canadian Bioenergy. “Our customers, from coast to coast, have consistently told us how critical it is to their success, as end-users and as resellers.” Russell has spent the past two years developing quality systems which adhere to the BQ-9000 protocols.

Leland Tong, chairman of the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission (NBAC) that oversees BQ-9000, echoes those sentiments. “We’re constantly hearing that more and more consumers in both the U.S. and Canada are making it a priority to seek out biodiesel from BQ-9000-accredited companies,” he said. “By completing this process, Canadian Bioenergy sets the mark for other companies in Canada. We anticipate that it will be one of many Canadian companies to come.”

BQ-9000 couples the foundation of universally accepted quality management systems with the product specification ASTM D 6751, and has become the premier quality designation in the industry. The program covers storage, sampling, testing, blending, shipping, distribution and fuel management practices. Both producers and marketers are eligible to become either an Accredited Producer or Certified Marketer under BQ-9000. Canadian Bioenergy represents the first company in Canada for either BQ-9000 designation.

“The bottom line is that biodiesel has to perform,” said Ian Thomson, President of Canadian Bioenergy and the Alberta Biodiesel Association. “If there's a quality issue, it hurts the entire industry. We have made great progress in the past year on quality across North America. The combination of BQ-9000 accredited production with BQ-9000 certified marketing has become critical to large end-users. This is the direction we're going in Canada to make sure biodiesel is as successful here as it is in the U.S. and Europe."

Tong said that he is seeing broader international interest in BQ-9000 participation. “The NBAC receives requests monthly from biodiesel companies all over the world,” said Tong. “As a commission, we are in the process of determining how best to meet the demand for a global quality assurance certification program.”

Canadian Bioenergy, www.canadianbioenergy.com, is a biodiesel distributor, but has announced plans to construct a biodiesel production facility on land adjacent to a canola crushing and refining plant near Edmonton, Alberta.

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