Ethanol Reportedly Reduces Sulfur Content in Gasoline

KatadataOTO – Amidst the pros and cons of implementing fuel oil (BBM) with 10 percent ethanol, there are a number of positive impacts that can be felt.

One of them is the reduction in the amount of sulfur in the gasoline sold domestically.

It should be noted that the sulfur content in domestic gasoline is still relatively high, above 50 parts per million (ppm). This does not comply with the specifications for Euro IV standard fuel.

Whereas 50 ppm is the threshold for sulfur content in gasoline to help the engine work optimally and not cause damage.

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An academic from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) explained that the ethanol mixture in gasoline ultimately helps to minimize sulfur levels.

“Gasoline is produced from crude oil, which contains sulfur, so it gets carried over to the product,” said Ronny Purwadi, an academic from the ITB Faculty of Industrial Technology in Jakarta recently

However, it has not yet been determined how much of an impact the ethanol content can have on reducing the sulfur percentage in gasoline to 50 ppm.

But it is a good step to help improve the quality of fuel in the country.

“Ethanol usually does not produce more sulfur. So (in gasoline) there are components with sulfur and without, when mixed, it decreases,” Ronny emphasized.

For your information, sulfur dioxide or SO2 and sulfur trioxide (SO3) have a negative impact on vehicles. Such as damaging the exhaust filter and producing pollutants, namely sulfate particles.

Not only on vehicles, high sulfur in fuel can also have a negative impact on human health, such as respiratory diseases and internal organ damage.

The government previously wanted subsidized fuel to follow the Euro IV emission standard. However, subsidized fuels like Biosolar and Pertalite are recorded to contain 2,500 ppm and 500 ppm of sulfur, respectively.

Photo : Antara

Meanwhile, their usage portion is relatively high. Biosolar at 29.7 percent while Pertalite is at 42.1 percent.

Regardless of the implementation procedure which is still being formulated by the government, ethanol is expected to be one of the initial steps to help reduce sulfur in fuel.

The hope is that fuel mixed with 10 percent ethanol, or E10, can in the future increase the RON or quality of gasoline, which in turn will reduce air pollution.