Perhaps before the CCTV March 15 party, not many people would know the name of the purification chemical specialty methylal. It was not until the party program that oil refiners used naphtha, methylal and other additives to blend gasoline were fully exposed.
In fact, before the party was exposed, this kind of “gasoline” had already opened up many markets at a “cheap” price, and even successfully passed national standard tests many times. However, the true appearance of such gasoline is that it “easily causes oil leakage in car lines” and “volatilizes harmful gases.” It has been pointed out by experts as “poisonous gasoline.”
In response to the “methylal blended gasoline” exposed at the March 15 party, “China Consumer News Automobile Weekly” revealed the true face of “methylal blended oil” step by step through a series of investigations and interviews.
What is methylal in “mixed oil”?
Before the March 15th party, except for the “experts” in the chemistry circle, few people knew about methylal; overnight, consumers not only knew its name, but also understood its almost “magical” uses .
“Blending itself is actually an essential processing link in the production process of gasoline and diesel. The main raw materials for blended gasoline include catalytic gasoline, mixed aromatics, MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether), C5, C9, naphtha ( Light oil), etc. Such raw materials can meet national standards after being properly blended in a certain proportion.” Geng Ning, a specialist in the R&D Department of China National Chemical Corporation Bluestar (Beijing) Chemical Co., Ltd., told China Consumer News Automobile Weekly.
Although blending is a normal processing phenomenon, blending and production must be carried out according to strict proportions. In order to reduce costs and pursue greater profits, some companies privately change the formula and add large amounts of chemical raw materials such as methylal, methanol, dimethyl carbonate, and non-aromatic hydrocarbons to blended gasoline, resulting in frequent quality problems with chemical blended gasoline.
What was exposed at the CCTV March 15 party is that it is actually a simple mixture of a portion of No. 90 gasoline with a large amount of naphtha and aromatic hydrocarbons, and is labeled as No. 93 gasoline.
Chen Bingzhen, an adjunct professor at Yanjing Institute of Technology, revealed to China Consumer News Automobile Weekly that methylal is a colorless, clear, volatile and flammable liquid, mainly used in pesticide formulations, leather and Car polish, air freshener, etc.; methanol is mainly used in pesticides (insecticides, insecticides and mites) and medicines (sulfonamides, synmycins). However, because some illegal additives are currently not within the detection range of national standards, some companies have resorted to covert means to add illegal additives to gasoline in order to earn the price difference.
This is a raw material for making pesticides. Direct incorporation will lead to a decrease in the quality of blended gasoline. Some car owners have gradually discovered that the cars that used to work well are no longer so easy to use, but they don’t know what the problem is. Even if an oil problem is suspected, when faced with test indicators, the result is that it becomes impossible to blame, although the suspicion is deeper.
“Smart” uses of pesticide raw materials
The main reason for the emergence of non-standard blended gasoline is low cost.
It is understood that taking methylal as an example, it replaces MTBE in standard blended oils. The market price of methylal is about 3,500 yuan/ton, while the market price of MTBE is usually about 6,800 yuan/ton. The price difference between the two is nearly double.
Geng Ning believes that the chemical blended gasoline market has been in a vicious price war environment in recent years, which directly leads to which company’s oil price is low will attract more consumers to come to refuel, creating a “price war” The market chaos of “the lowest wins the world”.
Thinner
It is understood that blended gasoline is originally a large amount of non-standard oil purchased by oil blenders. After adding a bunch of other chemical product components or additives that adjust various indicators accordingly, the blended gasoline is close to the normal gasoline standard.
The blending process is a commonly used process in oil refining companies. As a branch of gasoline, blended gasoline has existed in the oil market for a long time. A Chinese petroleum expertInsiders of PetroChina Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as PetroChina) told China Consumer News Automobile Weekly that this type of raw material itself has certain blending defects with non-foaming surfactants and is not suitable for blending gasoline, methylal, Methanol and the like were originally only used in pesticides, but this combination has long been tacitly understood in the industry.
How deep is the damage of “methylal oil”
What are the consequences of long-term use of blended gasoline? There is nothing but harm. It will not only cause damage to vehicles and human bodies, but also cause environmental pollution and contribute to the occurrence of haze weather. “China Consumer News Automobile Weekly” learned that because the quality of some chemically blended gasoline is unstable, long-term use will cause damage to automobile engines, three-way catalytic converters and other equipment. “Cheap” blended gasoline looks cheap on the surface, but it may not actually save money. Because blending gasoline will increase the fuel consumption of the vehicle, it is “not durable” to put it bluntly. Long-term use of blended gasoline directly affects the normal operation of the gasoline engine. The car lacks power, lacks fuel, and cannot go uphill. In severe cases, the car may even lie down and the car cannot run. It often happens.
With such oil, the probability of vehicle damage will increase.
Wang Xin, Engineering Technology Department of China National Chemical Corporation Bluestar (Beijing) Chemical Co., Ltd., pointed out that adding blended gasoline for a long time will damage the car’s three-way catalytic converter and corrode the car’s engine system and emission system; during the engine combustion process, The oil lines and nozzles are clogged, deposits are produced, and the intake valve and cylinder produce colloid and carbon deposits, which directly affect the normal operation of the gasoline engine.
Not only will cars be affected, but people who have been exposed to an atmosphere surrounded by methylal for a long time will have even more serious consequences. Since blended gasoline contains ingredients such as methylal, long-term use will not only cause chronic poisoning of the human body, but also cause gradual pathological changes in the respiratory system and central nervous system, and may even develop into cancer in severe cases.
“The quality of blended gasoline is completely controllable. In 2011, PetroChina had explicitly stipulated that methylal should not be contained in externally produced gasoline. However, the current market is mostly focused on profit, and the vicious cycle of low-price competition has created a vicious circle of profit. This drives many oil blenders to be unconscionable, and the entire blended gasoline market does not have clear industry standards and lacks a regulatory mechanism. This type of gasoline raw material added with methylal is cheap and looks similar to regular gasoline, making the entire blended gasoline market fishy. Dragons mix with each other, and it is difficult for ordinary consumers to accurately identify which one is better and which one is worse.” Regarding the issue of blended oil monitoring and management, an insider from PetroChina told China Consumer News Automobile Weekly.
