Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) News
Printer Friendly VersionFirst quality report on Mexico's fuel now available
For immediate release
San Antonio, Texas -- July 12, 2000 -- Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®), an independent research and development organization, has produced the first comprehensive report on the quality of Mexico's gasoline and diesel fuels. Although other companies conduct fuel tests, this is the first test done in Mexico by an independent organization.
"Auto manufacturers look at fuel as an important component in helping to meet emissions standards," says Gerry Estrada, assistant director of the Petroleum Products Research Department in the Automotive Products and Emissions Research Division. "The Mexico Fuel Quality Report can provide information which will help in designing an engine, fuel system, or components for the fuel system. A lot of people assume gasoline is just gasoline. People don't always look at the whole picture of the components or how the fuel is formulated.
Estrada added, "Controlling emissions is a major concern today. What you burn in the engine, eventually emerges from the tailpipe."
The survey conducted by SwRI, with more than 48 years in petroleum product research, was in response to an industry request. In March and April 1999 the Institute collected 181 gasoline samples of both regular and premium, the two grades available in Mexico, plus 91 diesel samples from 16 cities. The cities were Acapulco, Cancún, Guadalajara, Juarez, León, Mazatlán, Mérida, Mexicali, Mexico City, Monterrey, Quer#233;taro, Tampico, Tijuana, Toluca, Torreón, and Veracruz. SwRI worked with Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), the national oil company of Mexico, to ensure that the refineries and various areas of distribution were represented.
"Some people carry asumptions about the quality of Mexico's fuel," Estrada said. "We found that their fuel is not any better or worse than U.S. fuels. The fuel met their specifications for production about 98 to 99 percent of the time. Mexico has established strict sulfur requirements because sulfur is a big pollutant that they are trying to remove from fuels. Our studies found they were actually maintaining a low level of sulfur throughout the country."
Interest in a Mexico fuel quality report stemmed from several major automotive manufacturers who produce cars in Mexico for sale in the U.S., South America, and Mexico. Estrada said automobiles manufactured in Mexico contain some local fuel when they roll off the assembly line, and manufacturers wanted to ensure that the fuel meets their specifications. Others who may benefit from this report include manufacturers of automotive parts and additives as well as regulatory agencies on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border because of the high amount of trade and traffic between Mexico and the United States.
The Mexico Fuel Quality Report is available for $3,750. Contact Estrada at (210) 522-3006 or e-mail gestrada@swri.org. Visit the web site mexicofuelreport.swri.org for more information.
For more information about the Mexico Fuel Quality Report, contact Tracey M.S. Whelan, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas, 78228-0510, Phone (210) 522-2256, Fax (210) 522-3547.
