Beijing to lower gasoline octane ratings

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

On Dec.8, the Beijing Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said that it is soliciting public opinions until Jan. 17, 2012 about a plan to switch the three grades of fuel offered at gas stations to fuels with lower octane ratings

Gas stations will no longer offer No. 90, No. 93 and No. 97 gasoline and will instead offer No. 89, No. 92 and No. 95 gasoline, and sulfur content of automobile gasoline and diesel oil will be cut to "no more than 0.001 percent (mass percent)."

A bureau official said on Dec. 8 that changing the octanes and adjusting the sulfur content of the gasoline and diesel oil is at the core of this standard adjustment.

According to the draft that was submitted for comment, the sulfur content of both the automobile gasoline and diesel oil has been changed into "no more than 0.001 percent (mass percent)." In the standard that was modified in 2007, the sulfur content of both Beijing's automobile gasoline and diesel oil was "no more than 0.005 percent (mass percent)."

If the sulfur content of gasoline and diesel oil exceeds the standard, more sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide will be produced after the gasoline and diesel burn in the engine. Both the gases are harmful to the human body and corrode the engine. A relevant official of the Standardization Office under the BBQTS explained that, since the sulfur content will be lowered, the oil refining technique must also be adjusted, and therefore the gasoline numbers should also be changed.

A relevant official of the Standardization Office also told the reporter that making the two local automobile gasoline and diesel oil standards of Beijing is based on the consideration that the stricter motor vehicle emission standards, which have been implemented or will be implemented soon, set a higher requirement on the sulfur content of Beijing's gasoline and diesel oil, and then emission of pollutants will be reduced.