KENYA STANDARD  DKS2953 :2021 
ICS 75.080; 75.16020  
First  Edition  
  
 © KEBS 2021  
 Petroleum and petroleum products — 
Automotive B5 Biodiesel Fuel  — 
Specification  
 
 
 
 DKS 2953 :2021  
ii © KEBS 2021 – All rights reserved  
 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
Ministry of Petroleum and Mining  
Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA)   
Supplycor  
Total  Energies K PLC.  
Vivo Energy Ltd.  
OLA Energy  
RUB IS Energy , Kenya  
Giloil Limited  
Isuzu Keny a 
Kenya Pipeline Company  
DT Dobie  
SGS Kenya  
Gulf Energy Ltd  
Petroleum Institute of East Africa (PIEA)  
 Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
In order to keep abreast of progress in industry, Ke nya Standards shall be regularly reviewed.  Suggestions for 
improvements to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, are 
welcome.  
© Kenya Bureau of Standards, 2021 
Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of S ection 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 130 of 2001 of  the Laws of Kenya, copyright subsists 
in all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 25 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Bureau of Sta ndards 
may be reproduced, stored in a ret rieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing from the 
Managing Director.   KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2953 :2021  
ICS 75.080; 75.16020  
First  Edition  
 
© KEBS 2021 – All rights reserved  iii 
  Petroleum and petroleum products — 
Automotive B5 Biodiesel Fuel  — Specification  
 
 
Kenya Bureau of Standards,  Popo Road, Off Mombasa Road,  
P.O. Box 54974 - 00200,  Nairobi, Kenya  
 +254 020 6948000, + 254 722202137, + 254 734600471  
 info@kebs.org  
 @KEBS_ke  
 kenya bureau of standards (kebs)  
  
DKS 2953 :2021  
iv © KEBS 2021 – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Petroleum and Petroleum Products Technical Committee under the 
guidance of the Standards Projects Committee, and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya Bureau 
of Standards . 
Biodiesel is an ester (more g enerally methyl ester) usually produced from vegetable oil, or waste streams either 
from animal fats, used cooking oil or fish oils .  
Vegetable oils are obtained classically by simple pressing of oilseeds, such as jatropha seeds, rapeseeds, 
sunflower, soyb eans, etc. All of these oils, however, offer too much viscosity and a cetane number (the ability 
to auto -ignition) too low, making their direct use in traditional diesel engine difficult.   
In order to obtain similar characteristics with respect to convent ional fossil diesel fuel, such vegetable oils must 
undergo a reaction of transesterification with an alcohol (usually methanol, CH3OH) in the presence of a 
catalyst, usually potassium hydroxide (KOH) or sodium (NaOH). It should be noted that the use of eth anol is 
also considered, but very rarely used on a commercial scale. The transesterification reaction is carried out at 
moderate temperature (20 -80 °C) and atmospheric pressure.   
The production of biodiesel is relatively simple from a technical standpoint , which also allows the construction 
of small decentralized production units without excessive extra costs. Such a situation represents a definite 
advantage, thus limiting the transport of raw materials and permitting, in a transition phase, to start with modest  
sized installations.  
 DKS 2953: 2021 
© KEBS 2021 – All rights reserved  v 
  Introduction  
Biofuels development in a country ―Standards and regulatory framework  
Implementation of biofuels in a country and choices made for the standard and regulation to encourage it, 
depends on the objectives pursued by the country and they include:  
• Energy independence  
• Support for agriculture  
• Land use policy  
• Tackling climat e change  
Each country shall define its own standard and regulation , based on its strengths and opportunities, to create 
conditions for biofuels market development.  
All the regulations define two things:  
1. Grade  defines the maximum unit incorporation or b lend allowed by the authorities and it is based on 
technical consideration and the knowledge of vehicles used in the country.  The aim of the grade 
specification is to assure that incorporation of biofuel will not generate engine compatibility issues. On 
a worldwide basis, and according to African Refiners Association (ARA) position/specifications, the 
grades generally used are ; 
• For gasoline : E10 (meaning 0 to 10% of ethanol can be incorporated in gasoline)  
• For diesel: B7 (meaning 0 to 7% of FAME can be i ncorporated in diesel)  
2. Mandate  defines the global objective of incorporation or blending the country wants to start with. It will 
be based on the biofuel resource the country has, and on the objectives pursued through the 
introduction of biofuels. The mandate defines the minimum average incorporation or blending the 
marketers must start with in the blending ratio. The mandate will be raised with the improvement of local 
production of biomolecules.  
Introduction of biofuels is costly. Biomolecules are mor e expensive than fuels, huge investments must be made 
in production of biomolecules and in logistics. The introduction of a mandate compatible with local resources 
and of penalty system is key to assure a progressive integration of these costs in the fuel price structure. The 
mandate can be raised with the improvement of local production of biomolecules, and this is the incentive for 
investors to improve production.  
A grade higher than the mandate allows the system to run smoothly. It allows the market flexibility to fulfil the 
mandate without uneconomical constraints.  Please note the determination of the mandate including reviews 
from time to time will be done by Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority . 
 KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2953 :2021  
 
© KEBS 2021 – All rights reserved  1 
 Petroleum and petroleum products — Automotive B5 Biodiesel Fuel  — 
Specification  
1 Scope  
This Kenya Standard specifies requirements , sampling  and test methods for automotive B5 biodiesel f uel. 
This standard  is applicable to automotive biodiesel at 5 % biodiesel and 95  % petroleum diesel concentration 
blend. For use in diesel engine vehicles designed or subsequently adapted to run on 5  % biodiesel and 95  % 
petroleum diesel concentration . 
2 Normative referenc es 
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes 
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the 
latest edition of the refere nced document (including any amendments) applies.  
ASTM D86, Standard Test Method for Distillation of Petroleum Products and Liquid Fuels at Atmospheric 
Pressure  
ASTM D93, Standard Test Methods for Flash Point by Pensky -Martens Closed Cup Tester  
ASTM D96, S tandard Test Method for water and sediment in crude oil by Centrifuge Method (Field Procedure)  
ASTM D445, Standard Test Method for Kinematic Viscosity of Transparent and Opaque Liquids (and 
Calculation of Dynamic Viscosity)  
ASTM D473, Standard Test Method for Sediment in Crude Oils and Fuel Oils by the Extraction Method  
ASTM D664, Standard Test Method for Acid Number of Petroleum Products by Potentiometric Titration  
ASTM D974, Standard Test Method for Acid and Base Number by Color -Indicator Titration  
ASTM D 976, Standard Test Method for Calculated Cetane Index of Distillate Fuels  
ASTM D 1298, Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, or API Gravity of Crude Petroleum and 
Liquid Petroleum Products by Hydrometer MethodASTM D1552, Standard Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum 
Products by High Temperature Combustion and Infrared (IR) Detection or Thermal Conductivity Detection 
(TCD)  
ASTM D 1500, Standard Test Method for ASTM Colour of Petroleum Products (ASTM Colour Scale)  
ASTM D 2500, Standard Tes t Method for Cloud Point of Petroleum Products and Liquid Fuels  
ASTM D 4052, Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, and API Gravity of Liquids by Digital Density 
Meter  
ASTM D4294 - 10 Standard Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum and Petroleum Products by Energy Dispersive 
X- ray Fluorescence Spectrometry  
ASTM D5453, Standard Test Method for Determination of Total Sulfur in Light Hydrocarbons, Spark Ignition 
Engine Fuel, Diesel Engine Fuel, and Engine Oil by Ultraviolet Fluorescence  
ASTM D6078, Standard Test Method for Evaluating Lubricity of Diesel Fuels by the Scuffing Load Ball -on-
Cylinder Lubricity Evaluator (SLBOCLE)   
2 © KEBS: 2021 – All rights reserved  
 ASTM D6304, Standard Test Method for Determination of water in Petroleum Products, Lubricating Oils and 
Additives by  Coulometric Karl Fischer Titration  
ASTM D7042, Standard Test Method for Dynamic Viscosity and Density of Liquids by Stabinger Viscometer 
(and the Calculation of Kinematic Viscosity  
EN 12662:, Liquid petroleum products - Determination of contamination in m iddle distillates  
EN 12916:, Petroleum products - Determination of aromatic hydrocarbon types in middle distillates - High 
performance liquid chromatography method with refractive index detection  
EN 14103:, Fat and oil derivatives - Fatty Acid Methyl Esters  (FAME) – Determination of ester and linolenic acid 
methyl ester contents  
EN 14112:, Fat and oil derivatives - Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) - Determination of oxidation stability 
(accelerated oxidation test)  
ASTM D4057, Practice for Manual Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum products  
ASTM D4157 Practice for Automatic Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum products  
1P 34, Determination of flash point — Pensky -Martens closed cup method  
IP 53, Crude petroleum and fuel oils - Determination of sediment - Extrac tion method  
IP 71, Petroleum products - Transparent and opaque liquids - Determination of kinematic viscosity and 
calculation of dynamic viscosity  
1P 74, Petroleum products and bituminous materials - Determination of water - Distillation method  
IP 123, Pet roleum products — Determination of distillation characteristics at atmospheric pressure  
IP 160, Crude petroleum and liquid petroleum products - Laboratory determination of density - Hydrometer 
method  
ISO 2049, Petroleum products — Determination of colour ( ASTM scale)  
ISO 2160:, Petroleum products - Corrosiveness to copper - Copper strip test  
ISO 2719:, Determination of flash point - Pensky -Martens closed cup method  
ISO 3015, Petroleum and related products from natural or synthetic sources — Determination o f cloud point  
ISO 3104:, Petroleum products - Transparent and opaque liquids - Determination of kinematic viscosity and 
calculation of dynamic viscosity  
ISO 3170:, Petroleum liquids – Manual sampling  
ISO 3171, Petroleum liquids – Automatic pipeline sampl ing  
ISO 3405, Petroleum products - Determination of oscillation characteristics at atmospheric pressure  
ISO 3675:1998, Crude petroleum and liquid petroleum products - Laboratory determination of density - 
Hydrometer method  
ISO 3733, Petroleum products an d bituminous materials — Determination of water — Distillation method  
ISO 3735, Crude petroleum and fuel oils — Determination of sediment — Extraction method  DKS 2953 :2021  
© KEBS 2021 – All rights reserved  3 
 ISO 4259, Petroleum products - Determination and application of precision data in relation to methods of test  
ISO 4264, Petroleum products - Calculation of Cetane index of middle -distillate fuels by the four - variable 
equation  
ISO 5165, Petroleum products — Determination of the ignition quality of diesel fuels — Cetane engine method  
ISO 6245, Petro leum products - Determination of ash  
ISO 6619, Petroleum products and lubricants — Neutralization number — Potentiometric titration method  
ISO 7537, Petroleum products — Determination of acid number — Semi -micro colour -indicator titration method  
ISO 8754, Petroleum products — Determination of sulfur content — Energy -dispersive X -ray fluorescence 
spectrometry  
ISO 10370:1995, Petroleum products - Determination of carbon residue (micro method)  
ISO 12156 -1, Diesel fuel — Assessment of lubricity using the high -frequency reciprocating rig (HFRR) — Part 
1: Test method  
ISO 12185, Crude petroleum and petroleum products - Determination of density - Oscillating U -Tube method 
(ISO 12185:1996)  
ISO 12205:199 5, Petroleum products - Determination of oxidation stability of mid dle – distillate fuels  
ISO 12937, Petroleum products - Determination of water - Coulometric Karl Fisher titration method   
ISO 13759, Petroleum products – Determination of alkyl nitrate in diesel fuels –Spectrometric method.  
ISO 14596, Petroleum products  — Determination of sulfur content — Wavelength -dispersive X -ray fluorescence 
spectrometry  
ISO 20884:, Petroleum products – Determination of sulfur content of automotive fuels Wavelength - dispersive 
X-ray fluorescence spectrometry  
ISO 20847: 2004, Petrole um products – Determination of sulfur content of automotive fuels –Energy - dispersive 
X –ray fluorescence spectrometry  
ISO 20846 , Petroleum products — Determination of sulfur content of automotive fuels — Ultraviolet 
fluorescence method  
ASTM D 664, Standa rd Test Method for Acid Number of Petroleum Products by Potentiometric Titration  
ASTM D1500, Standard Test Method for ASTM Color of Petroleum Products (ASTM Color Scale)  
ASTM D482, Standard Test Method for Ash from Petroleum Products  
IP 309,  Diesel and domestic heating fuels - Determination of cold filter plugging point copy  
ISO 12205, Petroleum products — Determination of the oxidation stability of middle -distillate fuels  
ISO 2160, Petroleum products — Corrosiveness to copper — Copper strip test 
EN 12662, Liquid petroleum products - Determination of total contamination in middle distillates, diesel fuels 
and fatty acid methyl esters  
IP 74, Petroleum products and bituminous materials - Determination of water - Distillation method  
ISO 4264, Petroleum products — Calculation of cetane index of middle -distillate fuels by the four variable 
equation  
ISO 5165:2017, Petroleum products — Determination of the ignition quality of diesel fuels — Cetane engine 
method  
IP 34, Determination of Flash P oint - Pensky -Martens closed cup method   
4 © KEBS: 2021 – All rights reserved  
 ASTM D4052, Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, and API Gravity of Liquids by Digital 
Density Meter  
ASTM D1298, Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, or API Gravity of Crude Petroleum an d 
Liquid Petroleum Products by Hydrometer Method  
KS EAS 177 Automotive Gas Oil (Automotive Diesel) – Specification  
KS 2227Automotive Biodiesel Fuel - Specification  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of th is document, the following term and definition  apply.  
3.1 
additive  
compound added to the biodiesel fuel to improve either the performance of the biodiesel or its storage stability 
or both  
3.2 
biodiesel  
fuel comprised of methyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils, or waste streams either 
from animal fats, used cooking oil or fish oils.  
3.3 
grade  
maximum unit incorporation allowed by the authorities. Based on technical consideration and the knowledge of 
vehicles used in the country, the aim of the grade specification is  to assure that incorporation of biofuel will not 
generate engine compatibility issues  
3.4 
dyes  
chemicals added to fuels for visual identification  
3.5 
markers  
substances added to fuels for traceability to protect them against theft or adulteration and als o to distinguish 
between different fuels.  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1  The automotive biodiesel fuel shall contain, principally, mono -alkyl methyl esters of long chain fatty 
acids derived from vegetable oil, waste streams either from animal fats, used cooking oil or fish oils  
4.1.2  Suitable fuel additives without known side effects may be used to help avoid deterioration of driveability 
and emissions control durability. Other technical means that exhibit an effect equivalent to that of  additives can 
also be used.  
4.1.3  The fuel may contain small quantities of dye which are documented as harmless to give it a distinctive 
colour.  
4.1.4  The fuel may contain small quantities of Markers which are documented as harmless.  
4.1.5 The fuel shal l be clear and free of visible water, sediment, suspended matter and any other contaminant 
that is documented as likely to cause malfunctioning of equipment designed to use this type of fuel, as a blended 
form.  DKS 2953 :2021  
© KEBS 2021 – All rights reserved  5 
 4.2  Physical and chemical properties  
The fu el shall comply with all the requirements given in Table 1  when tested in accordance with the test methods 
specified therein .  
NOTE:  In case of a need for identification of biodiesel, it is recommended that a method based on the characterization 
of fatty acid methyl esters by LG/GC, in accordance with EN 14331, be used.  
Table 1 — Requirements for Automotive B5 Biodiesel Fuel  
1  2  3  
Property  Requirements  Test method  
FAME contenta,% volume fraction , max . 5  EN 14078  
Density at 15 oC, kg/m3 820-870 ISO 3675,  
ISO 12185  
ASTM D1298  
ASTM D4052  
IP 160  
 Density at 20 oC, kg/m3  820 - 850 
Kinematic viscosity at 40 oC, mm2/s  2.0– 5.0  ISO 3104  
ASTM D445  
IP 71  
  
Flash point, oC, min .  60 ISO 3104  
ISO 2719  
ASTM D93  
IP 34     
  
Sulfur content, mass, max .  50.0 ISO 14596  
ISO 8754  
ISO 20846  
ISO 20884  
ISO 20847  
Carbon residue (on 10  % distillation residue),  %, 
mass fraction, max  0.3  ISO 10370   
ASTM D93  
IP 34  
Cetane Number, min .  51.0  ISO 5165   
Cetane Index, min . 46 ISO 4264   
ASTM D976  
Distillation temperature (% vol recovered)   
• Initial Boiling Point  To be reported  ISO 3405  
ASTM D86  
IP 123  • % (V/V) recovered at 250 °C , max  65 
• % (V/V) recovered at 350 °C , min  85 
• 95 % (V/V) recovered at °C , max  360 
• Final boiling point °C , max . 400 
Water content, mg/kg , max. 200 ISO 12937   
6 © KEBS: 2021 – All rights reserved  
 ASTM D96  
IP 74  
ISO 3733  
ASTM D6304  
Total contamination, mg/kg, max .  24  EN 12662   
Copper strip corrosion (3 h at 50 oC), rating, max .  Class A  ISO 2160   
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, % (v/v), max. 11 EN 12916  
Oxidation stability, g/m3, max   25 ISO 12205   
Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP), max .     12 IP 309   
Ash Content, % , (m/m) , max  0.01 ISO 6245  
ASTM D482  
ASTM colour , max  3.5 ISO 2049  
ASTM D1500  
Lubricity, corrected wear scar diameter (wsd 1.4) 
at 60 oC, µm, max  450 ISO 12156 -1 
ASTM D6078  
Cloud Point, oC To be reported  ISO 3015  
ASTM D 2500  
Sediment, % m/m , Max  0.01 ISO 3735  
ASTM D473  
IP 53  
Neutralization value:  
Strong acid No., KOH, mg/g  
Total Acid No., KOH, mg/g   
Nil 
0.5 ISO 6619  
ASTM D974  
ISO 7537  
ASTM D 664  
 
4.3 Dyes and markers  
The use of dyes and markers is allowed . 
4.4 Precision and dispute  
4.4.1  All test methods referred to in this Kenya standard include a precision statement. In cases of dispute, 
the procedures for resolving the dispute and interpretation of the results based on test method precision, 
described in ISO 4259, shall be used.  
4.4.2  In cases of dispute concerning density, ISO 3675 shall be used  
4.4.3 In cases of dispute concerning cetane number, ISO 5165 shall be used. For the determination of cetane 
number alternative methods to those indicated in table1,  provided that these methods originate from a 
recognized method series, and have a valid precision statement, derived in accordance with ISO 4259, which 
demonstrates precision at least equal to that of the referenced method. The test result, when using an alternative 
method, shall also have a demonstrable relationship to the result obtained when using the referenced method  
5 Packing  
Except when transported in bulk, the biodiesel shall be packed in sound, clean, dry drums not deleteriously 
affected by the biodiesel. The drums shall be so closed that leakage and contamination of the biodiesel is 
prevented during normal handling and tran sport.  DKS 2953 :2021  
© KEBS 2021 – All rights reserved  7 
 6 Marking  
The following information shall appear in prominent, legible and indelible marking on each drum or, in the case 
of biodiesel filled in bulk storage tanks or bulk carriers, in the storage and consignment documents of each bulk 
carrier:  
a) the manufacturer’s (or the supplier’s) name;  
b) the brand name of the product;  
c) a description of the product, i.e. “Automotive B5 Biodiesel Fuel”;  
d) batch identification; and  
e) the quantity of the contents.  
7 Sampling  
Samples shall be taken as described in KS ISO 3170 or KS ISO 3171.  
In view of the sensitivity of some of the test methods referred to in this Kenya Standard, particular attention shall 
be paid to compliance with any guidance on sampling containers, which is included in the test method standard.  
 
 DKS 2953 :2021    
 
© KEBS 2021– All rights reserved