scope:

 Preface

The Manual on Fuel and Fuel System Microbiology-Fundamentals, Diagnosis, and Contamination Control augments Standard Guide D 6469². It is addressed to all liquid fuel production, transportation, and consumption stakeholders. The target audience includes management, supervisory, operational, quality assurance, maintenance, inspection, and technical personnel responsible for fuel quality, fuel handling equipment integrity, or both. The material presented in this Manual is equally applicable for gasoline, diesel (including biodiesel), aviation turbine, marine, industrial gas turbine, kerosene, gasoline, and aviation gasoline fuels. Much of the information is also applicable to other fuel grades ranging from bunker to natural gas.

This manual seeks to complement the Guide D 6469 in each of four areas. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the microbiological principles underlying fuel and fuel system biodeterioration. The information contained in this chapter will enable the reader to better understand why recognizing biodeterioration is difficult yet essential.

Sampling for microbial contamination detection presents unique challenges. Both the non-homogeneous distribution of microbes and the fact that they are living beings necessitate special handling, not discussed in Standard Practice D 4057 Manual Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum Productsa. Consequently, Chapter 2 provides the detailed information personnel need to collect and handle samples intended for biodeterioration diagnosis.

Chapter 3 provides specific, practical recommendations for disinfecting and removing microbial contamination from fuels and fuel systems.

As noted earlier, D 6469 recommends a variety of diagnostic tests, many of which do not appear in the Annual Book of Standards, Volume 5. Since quite a few of the tests examine bottom water properties, they aren't run at fuel labs routinely. Nearly all of the methods that aren't drawn from Volume 5 come from the Annual Book of Standards, Volumes 10, 11, or 14. By incorporating the Standards from these three volumes into this Manual, it was our intention to improve test method accessibility, which would expand the diagnostic capabilities of fuel quality labs.

Our objective in developing the Manual on Fuel and Fuel System Microbiology - Fundamentals, Diagnosis, and Contamination Control was to provide a broad range of stakeholders with a readable, accessible insight into the nature of fuel and fuel system biodeterioration, sampling requirements, test methods, and remediation practices.

As the Editor of this Manual and Chair of the D.02.14 Task Force on Microbial Contamination, I thank those ASTM International colleagues who have been indispensably helpful in the development of both D 6469 and this document. Harry Giles and Erna Beal, Chair and Secretary of D.02.E.05 and D.02.14 have been remarkably supportive since my friend and colleague Howard Chesneau first proposed inclusion of microbial contamination in each of the product standards under the cognizance of Subcommittees D.02.A, E, and J. I offer my sincerest thanks also to Howard Chesneau, Andy Pickard, and John Bacha, who each contributed tremendously to the development of the Guide and the Manual. Sadly, John Bacha's untimely death in August, 2001 prevented him from seeing the publication of this manual. I dedicate this manual to him in appreciation for his contributions and many years of dedication and commitment to fuel quality science.

• Chapter 1-Introduction to Fuel Microbiology Passman F.

• Chapter 2-Sampling Methods for Detecting Microbial Contamination in Fuel Tanks and Systems Hill G.

• Chapter 3-Remediation Techniques Chesneau H.

• D888-92R96 Standard Test Methods for Dissolved Oxygen in Water

• D1067-02 Standard Test Method for Acidity or Alkalinity of Water

• D1126-96 Standard Test Method for Hardness in Water

• D1293-99 Standard Test Methods for pH of Water

• D1426-98 Standard Test Methods for Ammonia Nitrogen in Water

• D3867-99 Standard Test Methods for Nitrate-Nitrite in Water

• D4012-81R02 Standard Test Method for Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) Content of Microorganisms in Water

• D4412-84R02 Standard Test Methods for Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Water and Water-Formed Deposits

• D6469-99 Standard Guide for Microbial Contamination in Fuels and Fuel Systems

• E1259-01 Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Antimicrobials in Liquid Fuels Boiling Below 390°C

• E1326-98 Standard Guide for Evaluating Nonconventional Microbiological Tests Used for Enumerating Bacteria

• IP 385-99 Determination of the Viable Aerobic Microbial Content of Fuels and Fuel Components Boiling Below 390 °C-Filtration and Culture Method

• IP 472-02 Determination of Fungal Fragment Content of Fuels Boiling Below 390 °C