TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA) � A National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company has said Iran has banned import of MMT from China.


Saeed Mahjoubi announced the new policy of the Company in putting a ban on import of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl�(MMT), an octane-booster added to gasoline from Chinese companies. �Adding this octane-booster has been banned in refineries,� he added.

He told also that a refinery in Shiraz had recently imported an installation of MMT from a Chinese producer; however he said that the refinery was not permitted to do so.

Mahjoub added that all refineries across the country were banned from adding the component, known as a famous carcinogenic component, to the gasoline.

He also commented about MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether), also a gasoline additive as anti-knocking and octane-booster agent. �Currently, MTBE constitutes only 10 per cent of the total gasoline produced by domestic refineries, with 2 million liters being added to gasoline in some refineries,� and emphasized that �with the operation of new refinery projects, MTBE will be eliminated from gasoline.�

A Shiraz refinery had imported a large volume of MMT from China and it is predicted that it would be used in other refineries.

MMT contains manganese and sulfur and phosphorus components highly contributing to pollution to large cities.

Shahrokh Khosrovani the deputy-head of the Company had said before that the country was self-sufficient in producing octane-boosters and thus ruling out the import of MMT as octane-booster.

By Mehr News Agency

 

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