BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Underwriters Laboratories (UL) announced on Oct. 16 the establishment of safety requirements for E85 fuel dispensing equipment, providing welcome news to alternative fuel supporters such as the president of the Illinois Corn Growers Assoc. (ICGA).

“We have been waiting for UL certification requirements for nearly a year, so this is great news,” said Steve Ruh, ICGA president and a corn grower from Sugar Grove.

“This is very significant for corn growers, the ethanol industry and the driving public, who have been awaiting better access to E85 fuel.”

There was little growth in the number of fuel stations offering E85 in the United States last year after UL, a Northbrook, Ill.-based safety testing and certification organization, suspended certification of E85 pumps because it believed new components of the pumps had not been adequately tested. There are currently more than 1,300 U.S. E85 fueling stations with nearly 160 located in Illinois.

“UL’s announcement removes a major barrier to many companies that have been waiting to offer E85 at their fueling stations. It is not a stretch to think that we could easily double the number of E85 stations in Illinois in 2008,” Ruh stated.

UL’s research on the dispensers included extensive gathering of technical data, field studies of existing E85 installations and analysis of material compatibility for dispenser components. In addition, UL cosponsored a forum with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that brought together 32 national experts from automobile and petroleum companies, ethanol producers, dispenser and component manufacturers and others to discuss safety requirements for E85 dispensing equipment.

“UL’s research ... was a significant undertaking that required the participation of government agencies, as well as technical experts in biofuels and material compatibility from around the world,” said Gus Schaefer, public safety officer for UL. “We took the need for E85 dispenser requirements very seriously, due to the unique characteristics of ethanol-blended fuels, and believe the potential issues we identified through our thorough process will help promote the efficient, effective delivery of E85 as safely as possible.”

Some materials found in commercially available fuel dispensers were found to experience significant deterioration during E85 dispensing research tests, according to UL. The new safety requirements resolve the compatibility issue.

“A safe and reliable biofuels infrastructure is essential toward meeting President Bush’s goal of displacing 20 percent of gasoline consumption within a decade, by commercializing cost-effective biofuels nationwide,” said Andy Karsner, DOE assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy. “UL’s quick completion of test requirements will help expand the use of clean and abundant homegrown fuels to decrease our reliance on imported oil, increase our energy security and benefit our environment.”

The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) praised UL for its efforts, noting that pump equipment manufacturers have been awaiting the opportunity to submit their E85 dispensers for approval. “This development will move the ethanol industry to the next plateau,” said Robert White, EPIC director of operations. As part of ongoing research on E85 dispensers, UL is working with DOE, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to conduct additional long-term, dynamic testing of materials.