Ministry of Petroleum has issued its guidelines about the maximum permissible limit for manganese content in petrol. Honda, previously, expressed its reservations over the excessive manganese content in petrol. Honda’s complaint added that the metal content in fuel is harmful to its vehicles as well as the environment and human health.
OGRA conducted a study after Honda’s complaints and found that companies were using high manganese content to fake the RON quality of petrol.
After the study, OGRA directed the ministry to set standards for the manganese content in April. The government, after OGRA’s request, announced to limit the manganese content to 40mg per liter. The manganese will eventually be phased out entirely from petrol by 1st May 2019, the announcement added.
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A Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) team also paid a visit to Pakistan to conduct tests on fuel quality. The team noted that the fuel metal content violated the standards set by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
The JAMA team recommended to bring down the current metal content of 52.6 ppm to 18 ppm before phasing it out entirely.
The New Standards
After OGRA’s directives and Japanese team’s study, the ministry finally set the standards for metal content in fuel.
The new standards will be applicable for all types of domestic and imported fuel with 90, 92,95/97 RON. The Ministry of Energy, in this regard, issued following directives to OGRA, Hydrocarbon Institute of Pakistan, and Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC);
- The maximum manganese content must not exceed 40mg per liter until 30th October 2018.
- The limit will be brought down to 24mg per liter between 1 November 2018 to April 30, 2019.
- The manganese content will be eradicated entirely from 1st May 2019, as mentioned earlier.
The ministry banned the use of iron in any form in petrol products.
Via: Profit
