WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass. — Recent tests underwritten by the Massachusetts Oilheat Council (MOC) and the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) confirm that emissions from oil-fired heating systems are dramatically lowered when the heating units are powered by a blend of biofuel and low-sulfur heating oil. Biofuel or biodiesel is a fuel manufactured from a soy-based product and recycled vegetable oil, cooking grease, or animal fats.

According to MOC, the lab trials demonstrated that, relative to conventional heating oil, incorporating a biofuel component into the fuel reduced sulfur oxide emissions by 83 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 20 percent.

Initiated by MOC, the biofuel testing was a collaborative effort between MOC and NORA, the New England Fuel Institute (NEFI), and Advanced Fuel Solutions Inc.