The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is expected to urge the government to make changes to the quality standard of diesel because of the effect of biodiesel content on truck engines. According to a Commercial Motor investigation, there is increasing dissatisfaction at the way the fuel is being handled and distributed after it leaves the refinery, amid concerns it is causing fuel filters to clog up.
Manufacturers and trade associations claim the biodiesel content in diesel fuel draws water from the atmosphere and leads to algae growth, despite the insistence from fuel and bunkering companies that all diesel sold meets British BSI quality standards. The SMMT hopes to lobby for some enforcement of the specification because other truck manufacturers have had issues with it. Approximately 5% biodiesel has been added to diesel fuel for around 12 months in order to meet the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, but this does not have to be advertised.
There is some debate over whether this relatively low level is affecting fuel systems or not. The Freight Transport Association (FTA) says that this problem has caused a lot of operators a high expense due to cleaning out their tanks. The fuel companies’ trade association says that the initial problems have been resolved and that biodiesel can help the lubricity of truck engines.
