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Car industry fumes over Sasol dumping its alcohol into fuel
ENGINE DAMAGE FEARS
FUEL companies have joined motor manufacturers, the Automobile Association and the Motor Industries' Federation in expressing concern about Sasol's plans to reintroduce alcohol into fuel blends from September. Sasol informed the motor industry in May that it intended to introduced acohol into leaded and possibly unleaded petrol in Gauteng and Mpumalanga from September 1. Other fuel marketers are obliged to use a portion of Sasol petrol in their own blends in these areas. In terms of the Oil Industry Supply agreement, Sasol may furnish alcohol to mix with Sasol hydrocarbon blendstock, thus meeting the requirements of the SABS specification for leaded grade 93 octane fuels. The agreement does not, however, cover the Sasol supply of alcohol for unleaded fuels. The reason for the reintroduction, says Sasol, is that the market for surplus alcohol, which was previously exported to Brazil, has now dried up. Alcohol is a by-product of the oil-from-coal process and was used in petrol blends here in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During this period, the alcohol blend, in many cases, caused dry and wet corrosion, degradation of fuel systems and corrosion of some aluminium components in these systems, causing problems for motorists and the industry. Coating of fuel components and the addition of corrosion inhibitors became a necessity. In recent years, however, many new models have been introduced which have not been tested for compatibility with alcohol.
Fuel marketers, Sasol and the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa) are looking into the matter. Vehicle manufacturers say that if Sasol goes ahead with its decision, Naamsa members are not prepared to accept the consequent negative effects of customer unhappiness and the incremental costs arising from reparation problems related to petrol blended with alcohol. But Sasol insists that when alcohol was in use, virtually no compatibility problems were experienced. It has also agreed to make samples of the petrol available for testing and "will, within reason, perform tests of behalf of the industry". A technical spokesman for the oil industry, however, echoes the concerns of motor manufacturers, saying these problems could resurface and additional ones could be experienced. He says that since alcohol was removed about three years ago, new pumps have been installed at petrol stations which have never been exposed to Sasol alcohol and the effects this might have on them is not known. There is the additional problem of the engines of lawnmowers, motor cycles, industrial engines and motor boats being incompatible with alcohol-blended petrol. At least one refiner has a petrol guarantee which it fears might be compromised by the alcohol blend. Because the local motor industry is relatively small, it is unlikely that overseas source companies would be prepared to supply components that are alcohol compatible, says the spokesman. And he doubts that Sasol, refiners and vehicle manufacturers will be able to do the necessary testing of components in the next nine weeks.
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