IFQC Ranks Top 100 Countries By Gasoline Sulfur Limits

Turkey and Taiwan make big strides

Houston, TX /PRNewswire/ - The International Fuel Quality Center (IFQC) has ranked the top 100 countries based on sulfur limits of gasoline and found several countries moving up in the ranking while a slowly recovering economy and uncertainty about the future has delayed fuel quality in others.

"Turkey and Taiwan are now among 40 countries committed to distributing gasoline with the lowest sulfur limit, 10 ppm," said Liisa Kiuru-Griffith, executive director, IFQC. "It is gratifying to see the steady progress being made in meeting more stringent requirements and the reduction in related air toxics emissions."

Twenty-seven countries moved up in the rankings, compared with seven last year. In Asia Pacific, Thailand vaulted 25 spots to 46th. Many of the countries that dropped in the rankings did not alter their fuel specifications, including the United States, and were simply passed by others that implemented stricter sulfur limits.

IFQC focuses on regulated limits, but market levels are also used in certain cases as additional criteria to more accurately rank countries sharing the same legislated limit.

Sulfur creates negative environmental and health effects, regardless of its concentration. Found naturally in crude oil, sulfur passes into transportation fuels and other products during the refining process. It is released into the air during fuel combustion in either a gaseous or particle state.

"We recognize the key role that government, refining, and automakers are playing in improving fuel quality," said Kristine Klavers, senior vice president, Hart Energy. "Credit belongs equally to all leaders involved for ushering these major improvements — they set the stage for clean gasoline and diesel fuel to remain the primary transportation fuels for decades to come."

The complete ranking can be found at http://www.ifqc.org/NM_Top5.aspx.

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SOURCE International Fuel Quality Center (IFQC)