Richard Wiley said it was simply a matter of mixing the fuels in the right proportions.
“Provided the ethanol mix is kept to 10 percent or less, there will be no detrimental effect and engine wear will not be influenced,” Wiley explained.
Tests carried out by the University of Zimbabwe chemistry department in April 2012 showed some service stations were selling so-called unleaded petrol carrying between 3 to 10 percent ethanol. Wiley added that if used in proportions above 15 percent, ethanol can accelerate engine oil degradation and water accumulation and can be corrosive if fuel lines are not compatible.
“In very hot weather, it can also cause delayed hot starting but this will only be evident in older, carburettor engines. There is nothing to worry about if the mix really is 10 percent or less,” he explained.
The introduction of mandatory blending has been welcomed by some economic commentators in the country who say it will lead to the reduction of Zimbabwe’s import bill and therefore free funds for other important national projects.
The government recently increased excise duty on petrol and diesel by 25 percent and 20 percent respectively as it battles to raise $132 million for elections expected later this year.
The increase in the excise duty is likely to push costs of most products on the market upwards. The new regulations on blending make it clear that no procurement or wholesale licensees shall sell unleaded petrol unless it has been blended with at least five percent ethanol.
In addition, no person other than a licensed ethanol blender can blend anhydrous ethanol with unleaded petrol.
Ethanol is produced from sugar cane in Zimbabwe grown mainly in the Chiredzi area. The recently reopened Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant is expected to provide the ethanol. The few companies selling blended fuel say it attracts few buyers because of concerns over its quality with most motorists still wary of the new product.
Post published in: News