Greenergy / Tesco / Morrisons - is there a problem with bio-ethanol fuels using UK ethanol from beet sugar ?

Kangaroo jumping cars, stalled, and costly oxygen sensors replaced in high spec cars at £300 a throw ... and petrol bought at Morrrisons and Tesco is being blamed ... maybe.. but it's an interesting tale.

Regular readers will know that Lord Patel highlighted the introduction of ethanol into road fuel on Wednesday, July 5 2006.....This pill is NOT sugar coated - EU / CAP reform kicks in on sugar growers .

This related to the plans of AB Foods (who own British Sugar) to shut its York and Allscott (near Telford) beet sugar plants at the end of this processing year 2006 / 7 , and consolidate processing at their remaining four sugar factories in East Anglia.

They would be investing £60m in newer and more efficient plant, said Colm McKay, head of agricultural operations, not including £20m to be invested in the Wissington bio - butanol plant with Du Pont. This plant will open in February 2007 and will manufacture 55,000 tonnes (70 million litres) of bioethanol each year from sugar beet.The plant already has forward contracts to supply Greenergy who already supply Tesco who sell a 5% bioethanol petrol at 185 petrol outlets in the South East."

British Sugar issued a press release on 27th January 2006 when the £20Mn. Wissington plant construction was commenced, with local ex MP Baroness Gilllian Shepherd digging a sod - Stephen Ladyman, Transport Minister, said

"Last year the Government announcedthe Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation which will mean that by 2010, 5% of all the fuel sold on UK forecourts will have to come from a renewable source. I'm delighted that this announcement has helped give companies like British Sugar the confidence to invest in biofuels, and hope that others will shortly follow. This project is excellent news for the burgeoning UK biofuels industry - and ultimately for motorists, and the environment. "

Ford and Saab also showed off cars at the event (probablyincluding the Ford'1.8-litre FFV technology in the Coupé-Cabriolet concept, C-MAX and existing Focus bio-fuel which achieves CO2 emissions of 99.6g/km.that would meet the E85 fuel (85% ethanol requirment - see pic) and BBC reported in March about Morrisons opening bioethanol pumps at their supermarkets mentioning Ford and Saab cars.

It may be of interest that Wissington had filtration problems with their sugar production in 2002 - but it is unlikely .

Tesco announced their bio -ethanol green energy fuels which constitutes 5% of their fuel in 150 Southern outlets on 12/5/05 and stated that the bio-ethanol came from Brazil and was added by Greenergy.
Greenergy since then started supplying Morrisons from their Thames estuary site.

"The bio-ethanol is produced in Brazil from sugar cane and shipped to fuel supplier Greenergy’s plant on the Thames Estuary where it is blended and then delivered to Tesco forecourts."

Today Greenergy .... "Our fuels are tested to the highest standards by independent inspectors before release to ensure they conform to our sales specification." (website) have published the following announcement......

Greenergy statement, 28 th February 2007

Greenergy is aware of the reports from drivers who are experiencing problems after filling up with fuel in the South East of England. We take quality very seriously and we are doing everything we possibly can to find out what the issue is and whether it is related to us. Over the last 3 years we have sold more than 8 billion litres of fuel into the UK market and have not had any problems. So far we have conducted extensive tests on the fuel supplied to Tesco and Morrisons. We have found it is fully compliant with BSEN 228 – the independent standard everyone works to. We are continuing our investigation and will update you as soon as we have more information.

BSI BS EN 228 (International equivalent EN 228:2004) Automotive fuels Unleaded petrol Requirements -- specifies requirements and test methods for marketed and delivered unleaded petrol. It is applicable to unleaded petrol for use in petrol engine vehicles designed to run on unleaded petrol it covers Gasoline, Motor vehicles, Unleaded gasoline, Automotive fuels, Liquid fuels, Fuels, Petrol engines, Internal combustion engines, Fuel pumps, Marking, Grades (quality), Chemical properties, Octane number, Physical properties of materials, Volatility, Antiknock ratings, Test methods, Trading standards, TSS. A typical low sulphur, unleaded fuel would show the characteristcs defined by the BS EN 228 standard can be seen here

This is the highly detailed Greenergy specification available on their website which will no doubt figure in discussions when the testing results are published tommorrow.

If there was a problem with ethanol volume or quality it would probably show as elevated Olefins % Vol Max 18.0 % Vol Max or Aromatics 35.0 % Vol Max.

UKPIA, the trade association representing the nine main oil refining companies operating in the UK has put out a press release which basically says nothing. "The problem is not thought to be widespread and we have no reports of quality issues with petrol or diesel supplied from UK refineries."

On the radio Mr Vandervell CEO of UKPIA said it seemd that there was "a rogue batch of fuel from somewhere in the Thames Estuary."

The bottom line seems to focus on problems either with quality or volume of ethanol from Greenergy.

It must be remembered that the more ethanol, the less fuel tax, the lower the cost of production and the greater the margin on sale to the retailer. However the switch over of source of ethanol from Brazil to UK manufacture has probably resulted in some problems.

If it was , you read it here first.

PS Cargill the giant US / worldwide food traders took a 25% interest in Greenergy in DEcember - website page down at present - Indy media has a story protesting that Tesco shouldn't deal with Greenergy end December 2006 here. because of oil plantations deforesting Sumatra etc., Two blogs have stories. Jon Worth and Big Biofuels

How silicon you get ? Greenergy / Tesco/Morrisons / British Sugar

The MSM have been provided with the information about the sources of ethanol for Greenergy 5% petrol supplied to the SE through Tesco / Morrisons forecourts. They seem surprisingly uninterested.

Briefly a silicon based surfactant foam suppressant residue has probably contaminated ethanol which was used as a source for Greenergy fuel bound for the SE UK supermarkets. The most likely source is the recently commissioned British Sugar / Du Pont molasses / sugar fermentation site at Wissington, Norfolk.

Contaminated petrol - mystery deepens at Greenergy / Harvest / Vopak - is 5% ethanol component contamination the cause ?

This statement appeared on the Greenergy website 2 nd March 2007 21.00hrsi.e 5 days ago.

In the last hour we have been notified of the results of independent tests on a component that we understand was purchased and used in the production of unleaded petrol by Harvest Energy, the fuel producer that shares our final delivery tanks at the Vopak terminal in West Thurrock. The tests showed excess levels of silicon. We understand Vopak have isolated the component in question.We have asked Harvest Energy to clarify the situation urgently and in the interests of all concerned motorists.

Tesco said in newspaper advertisements yesterday

"We have traced the problem to a batch of unleaded fuel from a storage facility used by one of our suppliers in Essex."

We have asked Harvest Energy to clarify the situation urgently and in the interests of all
concerned motorists.

Readers are invited to checkout Royal Society of Chemistry
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2007/March/02030702.asp

The Chemistry World Weblog.
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?p=405

We have asked Harvest Energy to clarify the situation urgently and in the interests of all
concerned motorists.

So 5 days ago "a component that we understand was purchased and used in the production of unleaded petrol by Harvest Energy," was identified. Nobody seems anxious to tell us what it was and how (and when) it got there. How very odd. If you want more search this site for "Greenergy"

Details of a typical Food grade Antifoaming agent used in fermentation here
......"is a translucent, viscous, pseudoplastic compound of polydimethylsiloxane fluid and silica filler. It is tasteless with a slight, but not unpleasant odour. Silica content: 6%

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most widely used silicon-based organic polymer. It is optically clear, and is generally considered to be inert, non-toxic and non-flammable. PDMS has been assigned CAS number 63148-62-9, and is occasionally called dimethicone. It is one of several types of silicone oil (polymerized siloxane). It is assigned the E number E900 as a food additive.

Fermentation of Beet molasses for ethanol at british Sugar details here at ICBD.

Greenergy / Tesco / Morrisons - petrol problems

More previous posts on this topic with links re possible source of contamination of ethanol here.

Read this first.
If you think you have a problem with petrol you have purchased at Tesco and Morrisons in the SE of the UK .... here's some handy help - here's Toni Fabuloso - trouble fillin' 'er up?

Kent Trading Standards and SE Authorities in the South East have received complaints from motorists alleging that their cars have required repairs as a result of being filled with contaminated / out of specification petrol. Broadly this is their advice.....

Claims can be made under the Sale of Goods Act against the retailer that they bought it from if they prove they bought it from them, and they have proof that the petrol is not " fit for purpose" - like John "The Donkey" Reid.

Claims are unlikely to succeed unless independent examination shows there is no fault with the vehicle. If contaminated petrol is proven to be the cause of the fault, customers should ontain a written report confirming this froma qualified engineer, making sure they retain a sealed fuel sample. They should then, prior to any work being carried out, contact the original seller of the fuel with a copy of the proof of purchase and ask for redress. It is esential to hav eproof of purchase, time and date stamped receipts and a written statment by purchaser - "I bought 40 litres of ... at .... on ...etc., problems experienced were ......" It may help if you take all your clothes off when filling the tank to make sure you don't contaminate the juice..

If you have had work done and spent money before advising the seller, state why the vehicle had to be repaired and available to the user - essential for job, taking children to school etc., I like driving ....

People who have experienced problems are advised to contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 who will make sure that the details are passed to the relevant local authority Trading Standards Service (this is a Gubment funded service). Consumer Direct advisers will also provide appropriate information on consumer rights and advice on taking action....they also have issued a Press Release just now about the problem and a form to fill in on their website here.

If you are outside the area in the SE of the UK that is supplied by Tesco/Morrisons with Greenergy 5% ethanol fuel your chances of problems are almost non-existent, and recovery of costs zero. Car engines go wrong.

To join a claims group, the first instance e-mail mdrtb@btinternet.com

Of course if the garage replaced a "faulty" oxygen sensor when the sensor worked perfectly and was simply doing the job it was designed for, and was advsiing the driver of a fuel problem, which the garage failed to identify - demand the part back ... and get on to your lawyer.

PS UPDATE Midnight 1/3/2007 News items are claiming that silicon contamination is a probable cause and further studies are being taken by every Tom Dick and Harry, but it looks as if the problem ...if there was one, has been flushed through the system.

There are suggestions that the silicon may have originated in an anti-foaming petrol additive... but it is more likely to have carried over from the use of a de-foaming agent in the ethanol fermenting process see this paper "Production of Bioethanol from Sugar Beet Molasses by Kenneth Leiper here which details the British Sugar process - from cleaning the beets to product. This work was undertaken for the The International Centre for Brewing and Distilling which was headed by Lord Patel's old pal, Geoff(GHO) Palmer one of the most brilliant (and teetotal) experts on Yeast fermentation - his textbook is a world standard - and he could have played cricket for the West Indies as well.

This pill is NOT sugar coated - EU / CAP reform kicks in on sugar growers

The effects of the new EU sugar reform implemented in February, replacing a system unchanged for 40 years are still being felt in the UK. The guaranteed price for white sugar will be cut by 36 percent (negotiated down from 39p) over 4 years and farmers will be compensated for 64.2 percent of the price cut through a decoupled payment. The full scheme took effect on July 1st and should see a reduction in sugar costs to the consumer - who has been paying at least 3 times the world price to subsidise the sugar / sugar beet industry for 40 years.

However AB Foods (who own British Sugar) have just announced they want to purchase the UK's remaining 83,000 tonnes of sugar quota and shut its York and Allscott (near Telford) beet sugar plants at the end of this processing year 2006 / 7 , and consolidate processing at their remaining four factories in East Anglia.
They will be investing £60m in newer and more efficient plant, said Colm McKay, head of agricultural operations, not includng £20m to be invested in the Wissington biobutanol plant with Du Pont.This plant will open in February 2007 and will manufacture 55,000 tonnes (70 million litres) of bioethanol each year from sugar beet.The plant already has forward contracts to supply Greenergy who already supply Tesco who sell a 5% bioethanol petrol at 185 petrol outlets in the South East.

ABF's CEO, George Watson said “We intend ultimately to produce more sugar from four UK factories than we currently produce from six.” Last year ABF warned that the new EU sugar reform, could slice £10m (€14.4m) from operating profit in 2006-7, and some £40m per year thereafter. ABF, the fourth-largest food producer in Britain, said profit before tax and goodwill amortisation was down two per cent to £255m for the 24 weeks ended 4 March 2006. Basic earnings per share was down 16 per cent to 21.0p and profit before tax down 13 per cent to £234m.

Naturally the NFU are unhappy with change ...the closures will “change the boundaries for where sugar is grown for the factories”, adding the decision was a “kick in the teeth” to farmers.

“Sugar beet is the most profitable of the mainstream arable products and whatever farmers do instead is not going to return as much as sugar.”About 1,200 farmers in the Yorkshire area are likely to be affected by plans to shut the beet sugar factory, which employs 102 people.Alscott is a small factory but it will affect Midlands growers.

"ABF, currently the fourth-largest food producer in Britain, said profit before tax and goodwill amortisation was down two per cent to £255m for the 24 weeks ended 4 March 2006. Basic earnings per share were down 16 % to 21.0p and profit before tax down 13% to £234m.

Danisco the European producer have closed sugar factories in Assens, Denmark, Kpingebro, Sweden, Salo, Finland and the sold parts of their sugar quotas in Sweden and Finland.They estimate that their estimated earnings will drop to DKK 600-750 million a year, not including the effects of increased energy costs.

Even so EU confectioners will still be paying twice the world price for sugar. Perhaps, given rising levels of obesity at all ages we should tax consumers (as in Scandinavia), rather than subsidise producers.

See Postman Patel, Saturday, April 8 "Sweet moves by the US & UK in the Middle East" about Tate & Lyle's response to the EU / CAP changes.