SGS report on mineral make-up of Octane-90 fuel sparks official effort to address impact on car spark plugs

AMMAN — The SGS report on the impact of mineral additives to Octane-90 fuels was referred to the specialised technical committee within the Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology (JISM), to inspect its validity and revisit regulations on the mineral make-up of oil derivatives accordingly, General Director of the Institute Rula Madanat said on Saturday.

Madanat's decision was taken after receiving the test results on local and imported Octane-90 samples, confirming the findings of the SGS report.

President of the General Association of Automotive Agents, Spare Parts and Accessories Traders, Tarek Tabbaa, said that JISM is the only official institution with the capacity to investigate the validity of the SGS report, in regards to the how mineral additives actually affect spark plugs.

Refinery Spokesperson Haidar Bashaireh on Thursday stressed that the complaints about the deposits on spark plugs arose after the Kingdom had imported fuel, underscoring that iron deposits lay beyond the short life of spark plugs and car engine failure. 

The tests were carried out by international specialists abroad, a JISM statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said, confirming that the mineral make-up of the fuel may in fact contribute to the increased formulation of residues on spark plugs in Octane-90 vehicles.

JISM also decided to carry out other further tests to measure the mineral composition of Octane-90 fuels, such as sulphur, manganese and iron, which function as octane-boosting ingredients. 

These tests will be done in Jordan if possible, or abroad if necessary, to solve the problem, JISM noted.

However, there are no local labs designated to test the impact of additional metals and minerals on spark plugs at this point, according to JISM. So far, the institute controls local and imported fuels to ensure compliance with national standards and technical regulations, but will work to further address the matter at hand.