It's no secret that Iowa is a leader in the production of biofuels.
Now, Iowa Central Community College has earned a new title for the state - home of the nation's first BQ-9000 accredited fuel testing lab.
BQ-9000 is a voluntary quality assurance program overseen by the independent National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission that sets up a standardization process to test biodiesel and biodiesel blends.
"It's very exciting because it marks a new chapter in fuel quality," said Rebecca Richardson, a fuel quality manager for the National Biodiesel Board, which helped make the Iowa Central lab a reality. "Obviously, our No. 1 priority is to get fuel into the market place in a consistent manner that provides consumers with confidence."
Don Heck, director of the fuel testing lab, will work with biofuels producers across the U.S. to ensure fuels are up to snuff.
Heck created the college's biofuels program in 2006, when he came to inquire about an open science instructor position. The college asked if he could build a biofuels program and a teaching lab for it.
"I thought it sounded like fun," Heck said. "We started with a teaching lab, and it just exploded from there."
The lab used to be housed in the college's greenhouse, and soon biofuel-industry leaders sought out the college to be home to a state-of-the-art lab, Heck said.
"They came to us because of our biofuels program," he said. "Steve Howell with the National Biodiesel Board was impressed with our equipment and abilities. He told me this program is just what the board needed."
Four years and more than $2 million later, the program has received the highest accreditation for testing biofuels: BQ-9000.
Heck and Josh Hayes are both certified lab technicians, and Kelly Kuester, 44, of Fort Dodge, is working toward his certification through an 240-hour internship.
"One of the stipulations of the accreditation is that all technicians must be certified to work in the lab," Heck said.
Certification requires completing each testing procedure 10 times and can take up to three weeks.
Kuester, a former employee of Tate & Lyle, is nearing the completion of his certification, and said he felt comfortable and ready to test fuel samples.
The process involves testing upwards of a gallon of fuel. Depending on which tests are required, 10 to 15 different tests may be conducted on the product, Heck said.
"We test different things like cold flow properties, metal content, distillation properties and biodiesel contaminates left over from the production process," Heck said. "There's a whole slew of items we examine."
After the tests have been completed, technicians generate a certificate of analysis with all the results, whether or not the fuel passes the quality tests, and gives the report to the company.
"This is just one more example of how Iowa is leading the nation in biodiesel and other renewable fuels," said Randy Olson, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board. "It provides Iowa Central an opportunity, not just to assist in the fuel distribution system in Iowa, but I know they also hope to reach out to regulators on a national level and develop a reputation as a biofuel- and even petroleum-fuel testing facility. We're anxious for the lab to grow and assist the marketplace."
Besides possessing the ability to conduct independent fuel quality tests for producers across the nation, Heck hopes the Weights and Measures Bureau at the Iowa Department of Agriculture chooses to use the Iowa Central facility for its fuel testing needs.
The Weights and Measures Bureau is a regulatory body responsible for fuel quality in the state.
"They're sending samples down to Kansas City to be tested, and the idea here is that we're a little closer and can offer better prices for testing," Heck said. "Our end goal is be able to do testing for all fuels because the state tests all gasoline, ethanol, biofuels, blends, everything."
Accreditation is necessary in order for the state to work with a lab, and Heck said he saw BQ-9000 accreditation as a perfect starting point for the Iowa Central fuel testing lab.
"It was a very doable accreditation program, and an efficient point for us to get up and running so we can work with the state," Heck said. "We'll continue to expand and work toward ISO accreditation, as well."
Heck said the certification process for BQ-9000 took nearly eight months and involved lots of paperwork and visits from auditors to ensure the lab and tests were properly set up and conducted.
Jim Kersten, Iowa Central Community College associate vice president, said the years of planning and raising funds for the project couldn't have been done without the help and support of local legislators and biodiesel groups.
U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley, U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, and Iowa Rep. Helen Miller were able to secure more than $2 million in state and federal funds to pay for the lab.
Other key players in making the testing lab a reality were members of the Iowa Biodiesel Board, National Biodiesel Board and the Iowa Soybean Association.
"The groups helped conceptualize and develop the lab to help ensure the training, public awareness and testing needs of the biodiesel industry and consumers are met," said Dr. Dan Kinney, president of Iowa Central Community College, in a press release.
"As Iowa is the leader in biodiesel production, it makes sense that we're on the cutting edge of fuel quality as well," said Monte Shaw, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association executive director. "The Iowa Central lab helps cement Iowa's reputation as the leader in renewable fuels."
Contact Lindsey Mutchler at (515) 573-2141 or lindsey@messengernews.net
