Marketing of water-based fuel planned

Marketing of water-based fuel planned

SINGAPORE (Reuter): Plans are underway to market a breakthrough, water-based fuel for cars in Asia following its introduction in the western United States.

The fuel is made of 30 percent water, 67.5 percent naphtha and 2.5 percent of additives that bind water and naphtha, an oil product, an official with A-55 Ltd told a news conference yesterday.

A-55 can be used as a replacement for diesel in boilers and heating units, while another new fuel, A-21, can be used in cars as an alternative to both petrol and diesel.

The company says the new fuel is cheaper and less polluting. When used in diesel engines, emissions of harmful particles are half that of diesel fuel.

"We have a mixing plant in Reno, Nevada and plan to open another in Sacramento, California," said inventor Rudolf Gunnerman, the president and chief executive officer of A-55 Ltd.

The company sells about 8,000 gallons per day of the new fuel, mainly to owners of fleets of vehicles like bus and taxi operators.

The company plans to market the fuel in Asia by early next year, but first must educate and inform the public and the authorities, said Alex Ling, a partner in A-55 Ltd.

He said the company had held talks directly with the Malaysian state-owned oil company Petronas, and through third-parties with Indonesian state-owned Pertamina.

Ling said the company had sent a Proton (the Malaysian national car) engine to its laboratory in the United States to test the emissions of A-55 and other fuels.

"We will then send it to an independent laboratory for tests as well," Ling said.

He hoped the test results would convince the Malaysian authorities and Petronas to let it start marketing the new fuel in Malaysia.

Ling said the company would initially focus its Asian marketing efforts in South East Asia.