Turkey, the UAE and Qatar have made the top 50 of the International Fuel Quality Centre’s (IFQC) top 100 countries based on sulphur limits in gasoline. Turkey came in joint 41st position with New Zealand, with the UAE coming in 47th and Qatar in 50th.
“Sulphur reduction still remains a focal point in fuel quality improvement,” said Liisa Kiuru, executive director, IFQC. “Even though some countries are already discussing low carbon fuels and other such measures, sulphur is still a key concern when it comes to emissions.”
Some regions, most noticeably Europe, have been more successful in implementing low sulphur fuel levels, with a large disparity still existing across the world. The general consensus, however, is that the majority of countries are now moving towards lower sulphur fuels.
Turkey rose two places this year to clinch 41st position, while the UAE dropped 6 places to 47th and Qatar dropped three places to 50th. Jordan was a new entry to the list at 52nd; Egypt dropped one place to 58th and Iraq jumped three places to 65th.
“As long as both industry and government continue to see fuels and vehicles as a system, reducing sulphur will remain the cornerstone of emission reduction from the transport sector,” said Frederick Potter, executive vice president, Hart Energy Publishing.
“Sulphur reduction remains essential and unique, as it is the only component in petroleum fuels that when reduced, lowers all airborne pollutants from the transport sector.”
