Petition - Make fuel suppliers disclose their ingredients

[y_p_w]

I came across this in a list of similar threads to one I was viewing, and thought about it some more.

As was noted, Top Tier is really just a performance standard for the detergent additive. They publish the test requirements, so it's not some nebulous thing that nobody can understand. It actually requires a test with an untreated base fuel to ensure that deposits are left behind, and then a test with the detergent additive to ensure that the deposits are heavily reduced by using the additive.

And an accurate ingredient list would be crazy given the nature of commodity fuel. There are hundreds of different hydrocarbons and assorted other things. Besides that, some ingredients can be hidden based on trade secrets. Even in food ingredient listings, there can be things classified as "natural flavors" or "artificial flavors" because they're proprietary. And since it's a commodity that's commingled, there's never going to be any single, accurate listing of what's in there. But at a basic level, it's going to be what one sees in a safety data sheet for fuel.

I looked up a Chevron PDS described as "CHEVRON AND TEXACO UNLEADED GASOLINES (ALL GRADES)". It does have a listing that says it's "100% gasoline" whatever that means. But then they have a hazardous components list.

COMPONENTS CAS NUMBER AMOUNT

Toluene 108-88-3 1 - 35 %volume

Xylene 1330-20-7 1 - 15 %volume

Pentane isomers (pentanes) MIXTURE 1 - 13 %volume

Butane 106-97-8 1 - 12 %volume

Ethanol 64-17-5 0 - 10 %volume

Benzene 71-43-2 0.1 - 5 %volume

Hexane 110-54-3 1 - 5 %volume

Heptane 142-82-5 1 - 4 %volume

Cyclohexane 110-82-7 1 - 3 %volume

Ethylbenzene 100-41-4 0.1 - 3 %volume

Naphthalene 91-20-3 0.1 - 2 %volume

Methylcyclohexane 108-87-2 1 - 2 %volume

 

[PWMDMD]

Who gives a crap and why does everyone want to make everything so complicated? If you knew would you know what any of it means? I was a TA for organic chem 1/2 and advanced organic chem and analytical chem and while I could understand what was in there I have absolutely no idea what significance these compounds have in an ICE. My guess is most would understand significantly less so how is that helpful?

 

[Rmay635703]

The cetane rating isn't listed on the pump in the U.S. either.
From quickly researching cetane ratings, it would be very difficult and costly to care about this non issue.

How is the station going to give the consumer an accurate number?

False


I quit being a diesel user mid 2015 but many of our pumps list a minimum Cetane and the “grades” have different minimum cetane listings

Doesn’t seem rare, complex or expensive

 

[skyactiv]

False


I quit being a diesel user mid 2015 but many of our pumps list a minimum Cetane and the “grades” have different minimum cetane listings

Doesn’t seem rare, complex or expensive

View attachment 67768

It's a contradiction. On the pump(s) for the batch that tested 47, a month later 48, 2 weeks later 45. It's easier to put the lowest cetane rating sticker on the pump(s).
Refining crude to diesel has more variation from batch to batch in the cetane rating. It's not a constant.