Biodiesel Quality Assurance Program, BQ-9000, Continues Growth
Two New Producers Add to Growing Roster of Quality Biodiesel Producers, Marketers

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Nova Biofuels-Seneca, the flagship refinery of Nova Biosource Fuels, Inc., has yet to celebrate its first anniversary and already the refinery has secured certification under the NBB quality assurance program, BQ-9000.

“BQ-9000 certification confirms the commitment to the quality standards we began with at the onset of production last spring,” said Dave Adams, Nova Biofuels-Seneca Quality Manager. “Participating in BQ-9000 provides additional assurance to our customer base that we produce high quality biodiesel and the product they buy from us is produced through a certified process. We recognize that the consistent production of quality biodiesel is critical to our success and to our customers.”

Start-up production at the Seneca, Illinois-based biodiesel producer began in March 2008. To date the refinery has produced more than 18 million gallons of biodiesel. When fully operational the refinery expects to be able to produce 60 million gallons from various fats, oils and grease feedstocks.

Rusty Sammons, Nova’s Vice President of Marketing added, “Achieving BQ-9000 certification is another step for Nova in becoming a recognized leader in biodiesel production and is a testament to our refinery production, quality control and engineering teams. This certification is an industry-respected statement regarding not only our product quality, but also is a testament to our operation’s standards, from feedstock procurement and handling, through production and on to our final product delivery.”

Biodiesel producer Nova Biofuels-Seneca was one of two producers recently added to the BQ-9000 roster.

Prairie Pride, Inc. of Nevada, Mo. processes soybeans into high protein meal, super degummed oil, and premium biodiesel. Prairie Pride is an agricultural producer-owned cooperative with 21 million bushel crush capacity and 30 million gallon capacity biodiesel plants.

BQ-9000 is a voluntary fuel quality assurance program, overseen by the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission (NBAC) and adopted by the National Biodiesel Board and the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. BQ-9000 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. The program covers storage, sampling, testing, blending, shipping, distribution and fuel management practices. Any biodiesel producer or marketer is eligible to become either a BQ-9000 Producer or BQ-9000 Marketer.

“Producers and marketers new to the biodiesel industry recognize the value of BQ-9000 certification,” said Leland Tong, Chairman of NBAC. “We are seeing companies strive to meet our high quality standards as one of their first orders of business. It is exciting that the newest members of the biodiesel industry see the critical importance of delivering a consistent, high-quality product with BQ-9000 both for their customers and for their own long-term success.”

A study released in 2008 by the National 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 consistently hit the mark, no matter how large or small the plant. There are currently 32 biodiesel production facilities certified as producers under the program and 14 certified as marketers.

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