Q 2. What is Biodiesel?
Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel produced from vegetable oils or animal fats through a chemical reaction. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it meets ASTM D 6751 and can be blended at any level with heating oil. It can be used in home heating oil systems safely with no modifications to the fuel tanks, pumps or burners in concentrations of 2-5% biodiesel with only minimal precautions. For Bioheat® fuel blends of higher than 5%, special precautions are needed, especially in cold climates.
Pure biodiesel is also referred to as B100. In the transportation fuel market where ASTM D 975 is the standard for petroleum-based diesel, biodiesel blends are designated ‘BXX’, where XX is the volume percent of biodiesel meeting ASTM D 6751 with conventional petrodiesel. B20, which is 20% biodiesel and 80% petrodiesel, is a common blend for fleets and buses. The heating oil market is focusing on Bioheat® fuel, which is a 2 to 5% blend of biodiesel with heating oil.

Q 3. Is Bioheat® fuel the same as Biodiesel, or visa versa?
NO. Biodiesel is the term for the pure biodiesel, B100. Bioheat® fuel is conventional heating oil containing biodiesel. Bantam BioHeat is a proprietary blend of premium heating oil, biodiesel, fuel stabilizer and rust inhibitor.

Q 4. Is biodiesel the same thing as raw vegetable oil, cooking oil or animal fat? Can those materials be blended with heating oil to create Bioheat® fuel?
NO. Biodiesel is produced from raw vegetable oils or animal fats, but the oil or fat must go through a chemical reaction (called transesterification) to make it into biodiesel and be tested to make sure it meets D 6751 before it is blended with heating oil. Unreacted or only partially reacted oils not meeting D 6751 can cause stability and contamination issues, create fouling and additional cold flow concerns, and increase hazardous emissions of formaldehyde and other aldehydes.
Raw vegetable oils, cooking oil or animal fats do not meet D 6751, should not be blended with heating oil, and can not be used to create Bioheat® fuel.

Q 5. Do oil burner manufacturers recommend the use of Bioheat® fuel with their equipment?
Bioheat® fuel provides benefits to emissions, sulfur, lubricity, global warming and health issues, while appearing to have little or no negative impact on a burner’s performance.

Q 6. What about my oil tank--is it compatible with Bioheat® fuel?
All known oil tanks and systems are compatible with Bioheat® fuel at blends of 2 to 5%.

Q 7. What about gaskets, seals, hoses and O-rings—are they compatible with Bioheat® fuel?
All known gaskets, seals, hoses and O-rings are compatible with blends of 2 – 5% biodiesel.

Q 8. Are there any other precautions for storage and handling of Bioheat® fuel?
The exact same storage and handling procedures used for heating oil should be used for Bioheat® fuel. The fuel should be stored in a clean, dry, dark environment. Bantam BioHeat contains additives that further enhance storage life, so there is never a concern about normal, extended storage.

Q 9. Does the use of Bioheat® fuel void my heating oil system warrantees?
No heating industry manufacturers have limited their product warranties to exclude Bioheat. And there has been over 40 million miles of positive, trouble-free experience in the on-road market.

Q 10. Will the cold weather impact my Bioheat® fuel?
Bioheat® fuel has cold weather properties similar to the heating oil it is made from. Bioheat® fuel Blends of up to 5%, as recommended by the National Oilheat Research Institute, have cold weather properties so close to the those of conventional heating oil that the difference in negligible.   When Bantam BioHeat is delivered into outdoor oil tanks, the cold flow properties are further enhanced by the addition of Winterflow, a pour-point depressant and anti-waxing agent.

Q 11. Once blended will the Bioheat® fuel stay blended with my home heating oil?
Yes. The biodiesel in Bioheat® fuel goes completely into solution with heating oil and once it is blended it does not come out of solution and will not separate.

Q 12. I understand that Bioheat® fuel or Bioheat® fuel blends may act like a cleaning agent and start to dissolve and raise the sediment already in my tank. Won’t this prematurely plug my oil burner filter, strainer and nozzle?
Bioheat® fuel contains biodiesel. Biodiesel provides a cleaning effect and does have a tendency to dissolve or loosen some sediment that can be deposited in tanks and fuel systems from years of conventional diesel fuel or home heating oil use. This cleaning effect is dependent upon the blend concentration of biodiesel. There have been no reports of 2 – 5% blends causing this phenomenon. More importantly, Bantam BioHeat is treated with Ultraguard, a fuel stabilizer that reduces sludge buildup, protects oil tanks from corrosion, and keeps heating system components cleaner.

Q 13. I understand a great deal of technical and field studies have been performed on Biodiesel and Biodiesel Blends with trucks and buses, but has much been done to validate the positives or negatives about Bioheat® fuel or Bioheat® fuel Blends in home heating oil applications?
After a decade of study and field trials and successful commercialization, biodiesel blends at levels of 20% and lower have been rigorously tested in on-road diesel fuel. To date, Bioheat® fuel studies have been conducted by nationally recognized institutions such as the Brookhaven National Laboratory, US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab, Massachusetts Oil Heat Council, NOCO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, (NYSERDA) and the National Oilheat Research Alliance, (NORA). Go to www.biodiesel.org, click on heating oil and several of these papers are available for download.  These studies benchmarked various aspects of Bioheat® fuel and Bioheat® fuel Blends as a home heating oil product and are largely the source of data for this Q&A. These results have demonstrated that Bioheat® fuel is seamless and transparent to the heating oil network and can function satisfactorily in home and commercial heating systems with no adverse operational characteristics with blends of 2-5%. Key observations and findings of these combustion tests in blends containing up to 20% bidiesel include: Nitrogen Oxide emissions are frequently reduced by about 20%, Sulfur Oxide emissions by 83%, smoke numbers are lower with Bioheat® fuel, odor of middle distillates reduced, and, when gas leakage during transmission, storage, and distribution are considered a Bioheat® fuel blend has an environmental cost that is better than natural gas.

Q 14. How much does Bioheat® fuel cost?
Bantam Fuel delivers Bantam BioHeat at the same price as heating oil.  Bioheat® fuel is made with Biodiesel, a renewable cleaner burning fuel made from home grown vegetable oils and animal fats. Biodiesel has virtually no sulfur, decreases harmful emissions of NOx and other toxic compounds, increases lubricity and improves exhaust odor in home heating applications. Using Bantam BioHeat also reduces dependence on foreign oil, helps provide new markets for farm based products, and creates manufacturing jobs for American workers at the same time. Bantam BioHeat, made with biodiesel, is true premium heating oil that provides many performance and societal benefits.

Q 15. Can I purchase Bioheat® fuel with Price Protection Plans, like I do my existing heating oil?
You can choose any of the Bantam fuel pricing and payment options for your Bantam BioHeat, just as you have done for conventional heating oil.

Q 16. Who can answer my questions about Bioheat® fuel?
Please call Bantam fuel if you have any questions about Bantam Bioheat. Additional information on bioheat fuels can be found on the National Biodiesel Board website located www.biodiesel.org.
ASTM International is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world-a trusted source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. Known for their high technical quality and market relevancy, ASTM International standards have an important role in the information infrastructure that guides design, manufacturing and trade in the global economy.