RKA Petroleum Companies is proud to announce that it is the first company in North America to become BQ-9000 Marketer-certified while handling multiple-feedstock-based biodiesel throughout its process. RKA also becomes the first petroleum supply and distribution company in the Midwest to achieve this standard. A Michigan-based petroleum distributor, retailer, carrier and terminal operator, RKA can now guarantee quality control standards that have passed the National Biodiesel Accreditation Program’s rigorous review and inspections process, even while handling various feedstock-based fuels.

The handling of biodiesel is as critical to fuel quality as proper production. BQ-9000 accreditation helps biodiesel distributors improve their fuel testing programs and reduce any chance of producing or distributing inadequate fuel. The program is a unique combination of the ASTM standard for biodiesel, ASTM D 6751, and a quality systems program that includes storage, sampling, testing, blending, shipping, distribution, and fuel management practices.

The National Biodiesel Accreditation Program is a cooperative and voluntary program for the accreditation of producers and marketers of biodiesel fuel. BQ-9000 is open to any biodiesel manufacturer, marketer or distributor of biodiesel and biodiesel blends in the United States and Canada. (The National Biodiesel Accreditation Program currently lists only ten BQ-9000 Marketer certified distributors on its website, RKA being number ten.)

With the BQ-9000 Marketer accreditation, RKA Petroleum Companies solidifies its position as the premier distributor of alternative fuels in the state of Michigan and across the country. In addition to E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), ethanol-blended gasoline (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline), and pure ethanol (100%), the company offers inline ratio blended B5, B10, B20, and B99 blends (5%, 10%, 20%, 99% biodiesel) at the rack or for delivery.

“BQ-9000 is a complete end-to-end documented awareness of the product. It's a process control quality assurance system that touches every single individual within our organization.” said Robert Lay, RKA’s Biodiesel Quality Management Representative (QMR).

“We see BQ-9000 as a very important piece to our industry's success, and we’re proud to be taking the lead,” added Jason Hittleman, RKA’s Director of Biofuels & Information Systems.

The significance of RKA’s BQ-9000 accreditation for multiple-feedstock-based biodiesel is in the advantages of biodiesel fungibility.

“In order for biodiesel to be economically viable and for integration into the marketplace to be successful, biodiesel needs to be a uniform, fungible product,” said Jason Hittleman. “The terminal infrastructure needs to support that, where multiple shippers can keep inventory of biodiesel in the same tank, and have multiple different feedstock-based biofuels in the same tank without concerns for contamination or cold-flow issues. Our system is one of several in the country working toward this fungible goal.”