Study Confirms Biodiesel Safe for Underground Tanks
Biodiesel Compatible with Steel Commonly Used for Underground Storage Tanks

ATLANTA– A new study by the Steel Tank Institute confirms that biodiesel and biodiesel blends are safe for use in underground steel storage tanks. The study, presented yesterday at the 20th Annual National Tanks Conference and Expo in Atlanta, reports that low carbon steel typically used for underground storage tanks has excellent corrosion resistance to biodiesel and biodiesel blends.

According to Wayne Geyer of the Steel Tank Institute, the low carbon steel test samples exposed to biodiesel and biodiesel blends had excellent resistance to corrosion. "In most cases, the amount of surface rusting was slightly higher in 100 percent Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel than in biodiesel or biodiesel blends," said Geyer. Corrosion rates for biodiesel and biodiesel blends were so low that it could not be measured.

The findings of the biodiesel and steel compatibility study, which was co-sponsored by the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) and the National Biodiesel Board, were consistent with years of in-field use.

“In nearly a decade of experience covering hundreds of millions of gallons of biodiesel being used, we have not experienced any problems with the compatibility of biodiesel blends in underground storage tanks,” said Don Scott a technical engineer with NBB. “Biodiesel is non-toxic and biodegradable, and we are committed to promoting and encouraging environmentally safe storage and handling procedures.”

Fiberglass tank industry representatives at the conference also endorsed the use of biodiesel in their tanks. “Our experience indicates no ill-effects of biodiesel on our fiberglass tanks,” said Ron Shaffer, a representative from Containment Solutions. “We have concluded that biodiesel is safe to use in all our tanks.” Containment Solutions’ fiberglass tank technology has been used in more than 300,000 underground storage tanks.

Biodiesel is a clean-burning, safe, renewable fuel. It is currently available at more than 1,400 retail fuel stations across the country. Biodiesel is typically blended with petroleum diesel at levels ranging between 2 and 20 percent. Biodiesel has been a legal motor vehicle fuel since the year 2000 when it became the first and only alternative fuel to have successfully completed the Tier I and Tier II health effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. Health effects testing was conducted by NBB, which is the coordinating and educational association for the U.S. biodiesel industry.

The 20th Annual National Tanks Conference and Expo was produced by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other environmental agencies. The common goal of participants is to find new and better ways to work together to protect human health and the environment from Underground Storage Tank (UST) releases. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and states regulate underground storage tanks at all fueling stations to prevent leaks and releases of spilled fuel into the environment.

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