BabuK
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- Jul 30, 2008
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The Ewura technical manager for petroleum Eng Gerald Maganga
Tanzania is planning to review sulfur level in fuels with a focus on further lowering content of about 50 parts per million litre, Energy and Water Utilities Authority (Ewura) said mid this week.
The Ewura technical manager for petroleum Eng Gerald Maganga said Tanzania is ahead of other East African countries to go for low sulfur levels, as opposed to many developing countries where the levels are still high.
Maganga told a one-day stakeholder's seminar in Dar es Salaam this week that other countries across the region were transitioning towards low sulfur fuels, but slowly while some others have no regulatory plans at all.
Maganga said that according to global status of sulfur level in fuels, limits on sulfur content are typically less than 50ppm in developing countries and often less than 15pm in developed countries.
He said that World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that almost 800,000 people die annually from outdoor urban air pollution with most of the deaths occurring in developing countries.
"Vehicle emission is one of the greatest contributing factors to poor air quality. A product from combustion of sulfur fuels can cause wide range of health and environment impacts… children, the elderly, people with heart or lung diseases are prone to adverse effects,' he said.
Maganga noted: "Chile, Coast Rica, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands are the only countries in Latin America and Caribbean region which currently utilize low diesel fuel sulfur below 50ppm," he said.
The operations manager at ATN Petroleum Paulo Lunyarula said high sulfur accentuates pistons and cylinder wear out thus reducing engine life and thus higher maintenance costs to vehicles and machines.
"Sulfur compounds decrease vehicles catalytic converter efficiency and adversely affect ignition timing, leading to lower engine efficiency and it also increases pollution levels resulting in health problems," he said.
The benefits of using low sulfur fuels is essentially cleaner for the environment and better for vehicle engines and machines thereby increasing their life and hence low maintenance costs.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
