Comment on the ANPR of the EPA – Centurion Engines are prepared
Lichtenstein/Germany – The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a so-called Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) in response to a petition of the environmental protection organization “Friends of the Earth.” As a result, the law-making steps leading to the banning of aviation gas (avgas) 100LL have been set in motion as its lead content may cause a public health threat. Avgas is primarily used to fuel the piston engines of general aviation aircraft. CENTURION welcomes this step and points out that its aircraft engines already run on the lead-free aviation fuel kerosene. Furthermore, they are fuel-efficient, generate low emissions and fulfill Germany’s particularly stringent noise pollution standards.
Background of the Environmental Protection Initiative
In the US, “Bluewater Network,” a division of “Friends of the Earth,” has campaigned for a long time to phase out leaded aviation gasoline (avgas), in view of its harmful impact on health and environment. Accordingly, in 2006 a petition was submitted that demands reviewing to which extent emissions from piston engine aircraft cause a pollution of the air with lead and, therefore, represent a potential public health threat.
Avgas contains tetraethyl lead (TEL), which serves as an antiknock additive. TEL is suspected to cause cancer and damage the nervous system in particular. Significant concerns exist regarding the threat to children’s health. The use of this highly toxic substance in the automotive industry was already prohibited in the US in 1996 and in the European Union in January 2000. The Bluewater Network association also points out that there are lead-free fuel alternatives for most general aviation aircraft. In response to this petition, the US EPA has now issued an ANPR, thus setting the law-making steps leading to a ban of leaded avgas 100LL in motion.
Requirements for Engine Manufacturers
“Still within this year the US Environmental Protection Agency will introduce a regulation for fuel additives which pursues the goal of banning leaded fuels like 100LL,” Michael Kraft, Senior Vice President of Textron Lycoming, commented in a presentation at the AERO Conference, as quoted by the German aviation magazine Aerokurier. CENTURION Chairman of the Board Jasper M. Wolffson explains: “Like other engine manufacturers, we assume that in ten years 100LL will no longer be available in the US, as it is already the case in many other parts of the world. The regulation will most probably not be postponed as it has already been delayed repeatedly since the beginning of the 1980s.” In particular, High-performance engines have difficulties operating with fuel that has less than 100 octane. Alternative fuels like mogas and electronic control units will partly lead to re-certification of engines and aircraft. Aside from the option of alternative fuels, there exists the possibility of using already certified piston aircraft engines which can be operated with diesel or kerosene. “With our CENTURION 2.0, we offer an efficient, low-emission and quiet kerosene piston aircraft engine. It is the green engine of general aviation and runs on kerosene, a standard aircraft fuel,” CENTURION Chairman of the Board Jasper M. Wolffson explains. Already today, many pilots of Cessna 172, Piper PA-28, Robin DR 400 Ecoflyer, Diamond DA40 and DA42 whose aircraft are equipped with CENTURION engines are already well prepared for a clean future.
Background Paper “Fuels and Environmental Protection Requirements”
For interested journalists, CENTURION has prepared an extensive background paper entitled “Fuels and Environmental Protection Requirements in General Aviation,” which will gladly be provided upon request. Please contact our press contact to receive a copy.
