Gatwick Airport. RNLI adopt Aspen alkylate petrol

Gatwick Airport joins a growing number of high-profile, environmentally-aware companies and organisations using Aspen alkylate petrol (Aspen), many of which have adopted the fuel this year.

Aspen, which is virtually free from benzene, solvents, sulphur and many other toxins, is distributed in the UK by Dorset-based Anglo American Oil Company Ltd (AAOC).

Aspen technical consultant Jon Walthall commented, “Aspen 4-stroke and premixed 

2-stroke are becoming a safety essential for industry in the same way that a hard hat is on a building site.

“Bodies such as Gatwick Airport, the RNLI and other new partners, such as Kirklees District Council, Leeds City Council, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service and the Environment Agency, recognise the positive impact Aspen has for the environment, people, and machines.”

Walthall explained that stringent investigations in Sweden, where Aspen was developed 20 years ago, show it be free of the most toxic and carcinogenic substances, thereby safeguarding the health of users and those around, as well as that of the environment.

“In an hour, a small petrol-engined piece of kit, such as a motor mower running on unleaded pump fuel pushes out 108 times more benzene than a mower running on Aspen alkylate petrol,” he said.

Walthall added that workers using Aspen with such equipment tend not to suffer from headaches, nausea and respiratory complaints as their counterparts still using regular pump fuel.

“And the fuel is inert,” he added, “meaning it can happily sit in a fuel tank for up to five years before going off. This saves maintenance and money, and in the case of a fire and rescue service, which needs vital equipment to start first time every time, it can also save lives.”

The recent deals inked by Gatwick Airport, the Environment Agency and others with AAOC’s network of dealers mark, perhaps, a change in the attitude of leading companies and organisations towards actively protecting employees and the environment.

“Aspen alkylate fuel is better for people, the environment and machines,” said Walthall. “Why would an organisation risk any of these by not using it?”