Evaluating the Quality of Petroleum Diesel-Biofuel Blends

As one of the largest archipelagic countries, there is a challenge in biofuel production and distribution because the raw materials, biodiesel refineries, and the fuel blending terminal are separated far apart. It makes a problem in maintaining quality. A good quality product of biofuel will raise customer acceptance. This paper aims to investigate the quality system of petroleum diesel-biodiesel blends in Indonesia after implementing B30 in 2020. This descriptive study was conducted with a quantitative approach showing that fuel producers should comply with the blending mandate and fuel standard to get the subsidies. But there is only one accredited laboratory to control the quality. The B30 quality verification report is also government subjectivity because it is not published. To ensure the acceptance of biofuel new specifications, the Government of Indonesia (GoI) established road tests and trial tests. The Indonesian automotive association which is dominated by Japan Manufacturers accepted the development of biofuel new specifications. The quality of biofuel production has been a concern for GoI, but there is a need to study the business model because the implementation of biofuel in Indonesia is highly dependent on subsidies.