Solazyme Inc., a renewable oil and bioproducts company, reports that its SoladieselRD biofuel has been granted registration by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

This registration enables SoladieselRD, which the company says is compatible with existing infrastructure and can be used with factory-standard diesel engines, to be sold commercially in both blended and unblended forms.

"To our knowledge, SoladieselRD is the first 100 percent microbially based fuel in history to receive an EPA fuel registration for use as a 'neat' or unblended product," says Bob Ames, vice president of fuels commercialization at Solazyme. "Our Soladiesel and Solajet fuels have been extensively demonstrated in a wide array of platforms from cars, light trucks and buses, to commercial and military jets, helicopters, large commercial shipping vessels and Navy destroyers."

In tests conducted for the EPA registration, SoladieselRD met or exceeded the ASTM D975 specification for conventional diesel fuel, the company says. In a measurement of the combustion quality, SoladieselRD exhibited a Cetane Number greater than 78, which is more than 60% better than standard U.S. diesel fuel, according to Solazyme.