The Effect of Diethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether (DiEGME) on Microbial Contamination of Jet Fuel: A Minimum Concentration Study

Abstract : Diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (DiEGME) is widely used in military aircraft to inhibit both fuel system icing and microbial growth. However, due to the cost of this additive and its deleterious effects of the additive, a study is being conducted to determine if it is possible to reduce the concentration of DiEGME in military aircraft fuel. The study presented here was conducted to support the larger study investigating the possible impact of lowering the DiEGME level from ~0.05-0.15% to ~0.00-0.05% by volume in the fuel phase. The study presented here was confined to the impact upon the biocidal/biostatic properties of the additive. This study suggests that a minimum of ~0.01-0.02% DiEGME is needed to retain biocidal/biostatic effectiveness.