Global Phaseout of Leaded Petrol

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Global Phaseout of Leaded Petrol
Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles

Ruslan Zhechkov Regional Environmental Center on
behalf of the Partnership for Clean Fuels and
Vehicles
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Urban Air Quality Worldwide
Nairobi CBD, 2005 Thomas Harrison-Prentice

• WHO
• Every year 1.5 billion urbanites breathe air
  that exceeds WHO standards
• Well over 800,000 deaths each year due to urban
  air pollution
• More than 70 of deaths from outdoor air
  pollution occur in the developing world
• Costs
• World health costs of urban air pollution are
  estimated to approach US1 billion per year.
• In developing countries the health effects of
  air pollution cost between 5 - 20 of GDP.

3
Transport and Air Quality

• Almost half the worlds population now lives in
  cities
• Urban air pollution largely attributed to
  transport and industrial emissions
• Local pollution often severe
• Transboundary movement of pollutants such as PM,
  nitrogen, heavy metals, organic pollutants
• Leaded petrol responsible for up to 90 of urban
  Pb air emissions
• Key to climate change Road transport is
  responsible for 1/5 - 1/4 of all CO2 emissions
  globally...

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Health Effects
Premature Deaths
Cancer
Developmental Effects
Hospitalization
Asthma Attacks and Bronchitis
WHO reducing levels of fine particles (PM10) can
reduce air pollution deaths in cities by as much
as 15 every year.
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Transport Air Quality European Example
Transport emissions of air pollutants

• Air pollutant emissions in European countries
  decreased by 1/3 in the past decade (PM and ozone
  precursors down by 30-40 from 1990-2003)
• Technical improvements/tighter standards for
  transport
• Cleaner fuels mainly impacted emissions from
  road transport - form of transport closest to
  people, therefore more exposure
• But overall growth in volume of concern...

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Loss in average statistical life expectancy
(months) due to identified anthropogenic PM 2.5

• Particulate Matter
• Avg. 9 months of life expectancy lost
• 4 million life years lost annually
• 386,000 premature deaths annually
• 110,000 serious hospital admissions annually
• Ground-Level Ozone
• 21,400 premature deaths annually

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The Partnership Background Mission

• September 2002 Partnership for Clean Fuels and
  Vehicles launched at World Summit on Sustainable
  Development (WSSD) to Help developing countries
  to develop action plans to complete the global
  elimination of leaded gasoline and start to phase
  down sulphur in diesel and gasoline fuels,
  concurrent with adopting cleaner vehicle
  requirements.

• Launch of Global Lead Campaign Phase out
  Worldwide by end 2008
• 2. Promotion of sulphur reduction in fuels
  (support for region and country goals with
  ultimate goal of 50 ppm or below)
• 3. Cleaner vehicle technologies
• Catalytic converters, etc.

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Partners

• Governments

• Industry

Int. Organisations
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Support

• Global technical expert working groups
• Public awareness campaigns and environmental
  training events
• Santiago, Chile Diesel Bus Truck Retrofit
  Project (USEPA)
• Support to Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey, Albania

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Vehicular Pollution Control
Cleaner Fuels and Vehicles A System for Better
Air Quality

• Cleaner fuels and vehicles most viable method of
  reducing vehicle emissions, air pollution today
• Lead-free and low-sulphur fuels affect emissions
  directly

• And enable the use of cleaner vehicle technology
  such as catalytic converters, which can further
  reduce pollutants by around 90
• Cleaner fuels (ultra-low sulphur petrol and
  diesel) allow for the use of latest high-fuel
  efficiency technology in vehicles. Advanced
  engines make 20-45 reduction in CO2 possible.

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Cleaner Fuels - Unleaded Petrol

• Complete elimination of lead additive from
  petrol is step 1 toward lower vehicle emissions
• TEL used to increase octane rating of petrol
  since 1920s
• Phaseout began in the US in 1969 as health
  effects became known
• Catalytic converter technology introduced in US
  vehicles in1974, total US ban on leaded petrol in
  1986
• Rio Earth summit of 1992 called for worldwide
  ban of leaded
• EU total ban on leaded petrol in 2000, WHO
  called for total ban in 2001
• But lead remains to be completely eliminated
  from petrol worldwide in Europe BiH, Serbia,
  and FYR Macedonia remaining.

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Why Ban Leaded Petrol? 1. Health Effects

• One of the primary anthropogenic sources of
  airborne lead emissions is leaded fuel (up to 90
  in urban areas)
• Affects mental health development, IQ and
  behavior of children (especially below 6 years
  old) toxicity even at low levels - even blood
  lead levels as low as 5 ug/dl can irreversibly
  impair brain development
• For each increase of 1ug/dl loss of 0.25-0.5
  IQ point, for each 10ug/dl height decrease by 1
  cm
• Adults lead exposure - high blood pressure,
  increases in heart disease and damage to organs.

• EGYPT Estimated Annual Health Effects
• Heart Attacks - 6,500 to 11,600
• Strokes - 800 to 1,400
• Premature Deaths (Adults) - 6,300 to 11,100
• Infant Deaths - 820
• Average IQ Loss in Children - 4.25 Points

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Hungary declining blood lead levels after
decrease of lead in petrol
Lead levels in petrol in Hungary 1985 0.7
grams/ liter 1995 0.15 grams per liter current
EU level .005 g/l
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Status of Lead in CEE
15
Leaded Petrol Worldwide
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International Experience

• Gradual Phaseout US, Canada, Japan, Brazil,
  France
• Immediate Central America, parts of Africa,
  Thailand, China, India, Egypt (most
  cost-effective approach to decreasing airborne
  lead to near zero avoids huge costs of parallel
  distribution systems)
• China began the switch in cities to 100
  unleaded in 1997, then provinces and is now lead
  free nationally
• India began in Delhi in 1998 and is now unleaded
  nationally
• Thailand began incremental reductions in lead in
  fuel in 1991 and 1993 and banned in 1996
• Sweden reduced lead from .4.gl to .15 g/l in
  1970s along with tax differentiation (unleaded
  had lower pump price) total switch in 1992
  using lubricity additives for older cars
• Slovak Republic study revealed neurological
  development effects of leaded petrol public
  education campaign and Slovnaft refinery
  adjustments led to complete ban in 1995.

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Why Ban Leaded Petrol? 2. Cleaner Fuels Enable
Cleaner Vehicle Technology

• Cleaner fuels allow for more advanced vehicle
  emission standards and improved technology
• For petrol vehicles, 3-way catalysts used with
  the closed-loop air/fuel control systems.
  Standard technology on all new petrol cars. Lead
  poisons catalyst (even trace amounts) , maximum
  efficiency at ultra-low (50 ppm or less) sulphur.

MECA
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Answers to Valve Seat Recession Concerns

• Concerns over possible Valve Seat Recession (VSR)
  in older vehicles
• Modern engines now have re-designed,
  wear-resistant valve seat systems
• All but a small percentage of cars are now
  resistant to excessive valve seat wear (obsolete
  valve seats predicted to be 7.2 of total world
  vehicle population in 2006 - European
  manufacturers switched in mid-1980s)
• Studies have found that valve seat recession
  virtually absent in actual vehicle operation in
  normal everyday use (only present in laboratory
  extreme driving conditions)
• No country has reported excessive valve seat
  wear or engine problems after eliminating lead in
  petrol.
• See the PCFV report of the Valve Seat Recession
  Working Group for more info - www.unep.org/pcfv

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Maintenance, Octane, and Benzene Emissions

• Lower Maintenance Costs
• Unleaded petrol reduces the vehicle maintenance
  costs - less corrosive combustion products
• Leaded petrol causes corrosion to engine parts,
  more frequent oil changes, and the replacement of
  spark plugs, mufflers and exhaust
• Unleaded extends spark plug life from 6,000
  miles to over 50,000 miles, and extends oil
  change intervals by a factor of 2 to 4. Reduced
  engine corrosion was predicted to improve engine
  life by an additional 50. (MECA)
• Octane Options available depend on current and
  planned technology, include refinery operating
  changes, new refinery equipment, addition of
  additives how much octane is needed? Kenya and
  the US lowered octane levels. Additives
  (ethanol, oxygenates, and metals) must be
  compared for emissions and vehicle effects
• Benzene Cost-effective refinery solutions that
  increase octane without increasing benzene
  emissions exist catalytic converters further
  decrease 90-95 of benzene and other aromatic
  emissions in exhaust

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Cost-Benefit of Going Unleaded

• US 1989 estimates Health benefits of reducing US
  population BLL by 1 µg/dl amounted to 172
  billion annually - estimates by EPA that benefits
  of phaseout exceeded costs more than ten times
  (avoided health costs and wage loss)
• Mexico reduction of airborne lead levels and
  improvement in health in Mexico City 1993 - net
  benefits in health and vehicle maintenance
  reduction 1.022 million
• Most significant costs of lead phaseout are the
  costs of alternate octane values and modification
  of refinery production facilities (range from USD
  0.01 - 0.02 per liter of petrol including costs
  of refinery upgrade, unleaded fuel production and
  octane additives) BUT refinery upgrade pays for
  itself in a short period through increased
  productivity and efficiency.

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Lower Sulphur

• Diesel sulphur levels in Europe can be as low as
  10 ppm while in developing countries levels reach
  10,000 ppm...
• Lowering sulphur
• 1. Lowers Emissions From Existing Vehicles
• SO2 From All Vehicles
• PM From Diesel Vehicles
• CO, HC, NOx From All Catalyst Vehicles
• 2. Enables Advanced Vehicle After-treatment
  technologies below 500 ppm Tighter Standards
  For New Vehicles
• 3. Enables Retrofit of Existing Heavy-Duty
  Vehicles
• 4. Low sulphur petrol enhances functioning of
  three-way catalysts (maximum efficiency at
  near-zero sulphur levels)
• 5. Extends life of the engine.

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Sulphur Reduction Engine Benefits
Going from 10,000 to 5,000 ppm sulphur diesel,
engine life is expected to increase by over 40
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Diesel Technology

• Diesel Technology
• For new diesel vehicles, progress made in
  reducing diesel engine emissions by improving
  diesel technology (advanced high-pressure fuel
  injection, lightweight materials, advanced
  transmissions, low-resistance tires, etc.)
• Exhaust Treatment Technologies
• Oxidation Catalyst (also used on flex fuel
  vehicles and CNG) can operate with fuel sulphur
  levels of 500 ppm, maximum effectiveness is
  reached with 50 ppm or less fuel sulphur.
  Reductions of PM by diesel oxidation catalysts
  range between 20-50, with reductions in HC and
  CO of between 60-90.

MECA
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Diesel Technology, ctd.

• Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) Filter out PM
  and are usually paired with catalysts. DPFs
  work best when sulphur levels are less than 15
  ppm, but still operate at 95 efficiency with 50
  ppm sulphur fuel. Reduce PM by 80-90.
• Around the world, more than 200,000 DPFs have
  been installed as retrofits and more than 1
  million DPF-equipped cars have been sold in
  Europe. DPFs have also been used successfully on
  a variety of off-road engines since the
  mid-1980s. (MECA)

MECA
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Diesel Technology, ctd.

• Other Diesel Technology...
• Flow-Through Filters relatively new, PM
  reduction 30-70
• Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Can reduce
  NOx emissions by 75 to 90 percent, HC emissions
  by up to 80 percent, and PM emissions by 20 to 30
  percent.
• NOx Adsorbers catalyst technology Nox
  reductions up to 90

• Cleaner fuels also enable...
• State of the art vehicles with low emissions
  hybrids, modern diesels (Euro 5)
• Retrofit options for existing heavy-duty
  diesels with DOCs, DPFs or a combination
  (London, NYC, Mexico City, Beijing, Santiago) -
  significant decrease in PM emissions

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The Future of Cleaner Fuels and Vehicles in BiH

• Possible Actions Towards Cleaner Fuels and
  Vehicles Ban on lead in petrol, cleaner fuel
  incentives, plan for sulphur reduction, fuel
  adulteration, renewal of the vehicle fleet
  (incentives for cleaner vehicles), improved
  systems for inspection and maintenance of
  vehicles, capacity building on cleaner fuel and
  vehicle issues in civil society and at municipal
  level, awareness on lead health effects and need
  for phaseout
• PCFV Support Includes
• Access to Tools, Research, Awareness Information
• Support for activities - training, working
  groups, cross-sectoral dialogue and partnerships
• Join the PCFV for greater access to the PCFV
  network of experts

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Why Join?

• Public/Private Global Initiative cooperating to
  successfully address cleaner fuel and vehicle
  issue for better air quality
• Network with government, industry, international
  organizations and civil society on these issues
• Notification of PCFV and related events and
  activities, including Global Partnership
  Meetings
• Access to technical Working Groups.

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Information www.unep.org/pcfv
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Thank you!

PCFV Clearing-House Urban Environment
Unit Division of Policy Development and Law
(DPDL) United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) P.O Box 30552 Nairobi, KENYA Tel (254
20) 7624735 Elisa.Dumitrescu_at_unep.org www.unep.org
/pcfv