The biodiesel production process is safe when managed by professionals. However, even the safest facilities can have industrial accidents. That’s why the National Biodiesel Board and the International Association of Fire Chiefs have cooperated for more
than a year to prepare and distribute safety training materials.
This weekend, a fire at a soybean processing plant in Brewster, Minn. that also produces biodiesel shows why these materials are so valuable. Minnesota Soybean Processors is a cooperative that owns and operates the soybean processing and biodiesel plant. The fire was limited to an area involved with the storage of and loading out of finished soybean oil and soy biodiesel. No explosion occurred and no injuries resulted, but Brewster was evacuated as a precautionary measure.
“With a flash point of 200 degrees, biodiesel is the safest fuel to handle, store and use,” said NBB CEO Joe Jobe. “MnSP is certified as a BQ-9000 producer, the industry’s voluntary quality control program, so they were very well prepared to handle any safety issue.”
NBB has posted the new “Biodiesel: Response Considerations” safety resource on its Web site (www.biodiesel.org) and is mailing copies to NBB producer members to work with their local fire departments. The IAFC will distribute 2700 copies to fire departments and at events, like the International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference held this week near Baltimore.
“The Biodiesel Response Considerations training program provides the critical information First Responders and Haz Mat Response Teams need for a safe and competent response,” said Captain Steve Hergenreter of Fort Dodge, Iowa. “It includes information on the chemicals involved in production, along with information on the properties of biodiesel. Whether preplanning a facility or responding to one, understanding these chemical and physical properties ensures a response based on
facts, science and circumstances.”
The materials include training tools, such as a PowerPoint presentation, as well as a video about response considerations. The video is available on NBB’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/nationalbiodiesel. NBB and IAFC developed the materials with the support of a U.S. Department of Energy Grant. Distribution is funded through the soybean checkoff and United
Soybean Board.
“Our industry prides itself on a good safety record, and NBB appreciates the leadership and cooperation of the IAFC in developing these materials that will benefit first responders as well as biodiesel producers,” said Jobe. “We also applaud fire departments in San Francisco and elsewhere who have led by example by using biodiesel blends to power their own emergency vehicles.”
Biodiesel is a diesel fuel substitute that contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel. Up to a 20 percent blend can be used in most diesel engines. Biodiesel is nontoxic, biodegradable and the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act.