Azerbaijan, Baku, May 15 / corr Trend E.Ismayilov /
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources is considering new quality standards for manufacturing diesel fuel designed by the Yusif Mammadaliyev Petrochemical Institute, Institute's Laboratory for Oil and Oil Products Standardization head Gasim Gasimov said on May 15.
"Standards have been tested by the Ministries of Health and Emergency Situations," Gasimov said.
Earlier, the standards were coordinated with the Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery Plant. They will be applied this year.
Upon approval at the Ecology Ministry the standards will be sent to the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), which includes the Heydar Aliyev ORP. After SOCAR the new standards will be considered at the State Committee on standardization, metrology and patent, Gasimov said.
Presently, diesel fuel oil is manufactured in Azerbaijan on the base of GOST standard [established during the Soviet period].
The new quality standards will set sulfur content in diesel oil at 0.1 percent. But the Heydar Aliyev Refinery currently produces diesel fuel with a sulfur content of 0.05-0.065 percent, which is even lower than envisaged in the new standards.
Diesel fuel is predicted to be produced in Europe with 0.001-percent sulfur content in 2009-2011.
However, raising the quality of diesel fuel in Azerbaijan to this indicator is currently impossible as facilities at the refinery have to be completely refurbished. Bringing the quality of diesel fuel to European standards will be possible only after the old factory has been upgraded or a new petrochemical complex has been constructed in Azerbaijan, Gasimov said earlier.
As part of the draft diesel fuel standards, it was also planned to decline diesel fuel aromatics. However, technology at the refinery is outdated and, therefore, it was impossible to study the content of aromatics in the diesel fuel. That is why this quality indicator was removed from consideration. Higher level of aromatics in diesel fuel leads to a rapid failure of motor vehicles, Gasimov said.