A new grade of "Rilsan" PA 11 produced by Arkema (Paris / France; www.arkema.com) from renewable raw materials has been approved by a number of automotive contractors in Europe and Brazil for use in fuel lines carrying biodiesel. The new material, "M-BESN Noir P210TL", has been developed specifically for use with biodiesel, which is much more aggressive than traditional fuels based on crude oil.

Arkema says the polymer, produced from castor seeds, has all the inherent properties of PA 11 that ensure superior performance to PA12 with regard to chemical and mechanical aging resistance at high temperatures in the presence of pure biodiesel. According to the company, the new bio-based grade can be combined with conductive Rilsan PA 11, wherever electrical conductivity characteristics are needed to enable fuel lines to comply with the automotive SAE J1645 standard.