Officials say biodiesel B10 to join B7 at the pumps next week

[Nereus]

Officials say biodiesel B10 to join B7 at the pumps next week

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/ne ... recent_box

The Energy Ministry plans to set biodiesel B10 as the fundamental diesel at petrol stations next week, alongside the current biodiesel B7.

B7 will have to comply with the Euro 5 standard soon in order to be promoted as a premium-grade diesel. B7 means 7% methyl ester from crude palm oil blended with diesel, while B10 is a 10% blend.

The moves are in line with other ministry measures to absorb a surplus of crude palm oil and tackle increasing PM2.5 particles in the air.
Energy Minister Siri Jirapongphan said the Energy Business Department plans to announce the international standards for B7 and B10 next week.

The retail price of B10 will be five baht per litre less than B7 because of lower levy collection for the state Oil Fund.
Mr Siri said while two car makers, Toyota and Isuzu, have announced their pickups, trucks and vans are now compatible with B10, the ministry will maintain B7 availability at petrol stations because some European cars are incompatible with B10.

"But in the future, the ministry will set only one grade of both diesel and petrol in the Thai market," he said.

SET-listed Bangchak Corporation Plc on Thursday launched commercial sale of biodiesel B20, available at Bangchak petrol stations nationwide.

Bangchak president Chaiwat Kovavisarach said motorists can find B20 at 174 stations.
Meanwhile, PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc has made B20 available at 33 stations nationwide, with plans to expand to 100 stations this year.

Like B10, B20 retails for five baht per litre less than B7. But the ministry will widen the price gap of B20 to seven baht per litre after B7 complies with the Euro 5 standard.

Mr Chaiwat said Bangchak is ready to comply with the ministry's policy despite higher refining costs for biodiesel with the Euro 5 standard.

Mr Siri said the higher methyl ester content in biodiesel and increased volume of crude palm oil for power generation will raise local consumption of crude palm oil to 2 million tonnes in 2019 from 1.5 million in 2018.

On Tuesday, the cabinet acknowledged a plan to buy a new block of 200,000 tonnes of crude palm oil to generate power at the Bang Pakong plant of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. The first batch of 100,000 tonnes is to be bought in 15 days.
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"But in the future, the ministry will set only one grade of both diesel and petrol in the Thai market," he said.

So what is this supposed to mean? Is all petrol to become E20? Is all petrol to be 1 grade only? Or is it just another case of opening mouth before engaging brain?

[Dannie Boy]

Are they inferring that unless otherwise indicated, all diesels will be able to switch from B7 to B10 without any negative impact?

[PeteC]

Shell, and perhaps others, have two diesel grades at present. One regular grade and one "super" grade but they don't call it that. Either some kind of additive, or perhaps a lower level of biofuel than even B7. I've seen it at their stations, but never researched it.

[Nereus]

Are they inferring that unless otherwise indicated, all diesels will be able to switch from B7 to B10 without any negative impact?

Who knows just what they are referring to!

Euro emission standards are taken to apply to engine exhaust emissions, NOT the standard of the fuel, as far as I am aware.
The quality of the fuel, particular Sulphur content, will and does affect the emissions, but that is not what they are writing.

I doubt that the small difference between B7 and B10 will have much of a detrimental affect on most of the diesel road vehicles used here.
It is a different matter with petrol engines, or rather petrol engine systems.

https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/fu ... -standards

[PeteC]

Keep in mind they have several groups of palm growers here who have been beating the drums for a long time that prices are suppressed and the market is shrinking. The market isn't really shrinking IMO, it's those who keep appropriating land and growing yet more and more palms for oil that's ruining the market.

Growing palms for oil is one of the worst environmental hazards in today's world as millions of hectares of forest is being destroyed yearly to enable yet more palm planting.

If you gave me a choice about what the Gov is really concerned with, improving air quality is a far second to keeping the growers (aka constituents) happy.