Hogan,
So you didn't read anything. Try this...
The third choice was the only acceptable one. All that was needed was to find some product, something that could be obtained cheaply, that could be added to petrol to reduce its tendency to "ping" under compression. Common lead was found to have all the right properties, and so "leaded" petrol was born.
By the late 'sixties, supplies of high-grade, low-sulphur, low-nitrate oil were becoming scarce enough to command premium prices. This type of oil was favoured by the petroleum producers, since removing these contaminants to an acceptable level is difficult and costly. The companies were refining increasing amounts of the cheaper, high-sulphur, high-nitrate oil, but using the same old processes. This in turn led to ever higher levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide in vehicle emissions, and people were starting to complain-if not about the environmental effect, then at least about the smell. The smog banks over the bigger American and Australian cities during this period were not, as most people believe, the result of so many more cars on the road, although this, of course, was a contributing factor. The main cause was the vastly increased levels of sulphur/nitrogen oxides in the vehicle emissions because of the higher levels of contamination in the fuels themselves. The oil companies were once again faced with the dilemma of cleaning up their product or finding another solution that did not affect their profits. The chemical theories and practices of catalytic conversion had been known for many years.
It had always been known to the oil companies that they could use these processes to further refine their petroleum products. This, however, would have meant major upgradings of their refineries. Far better if they could get somebody else to foot the bill. Even better if they could get somebody to meet the cost of total responsibility for all the oxides.
I wonder how the oil companies and the EPA and Ecologists intertwined.
There was a collision of 2 standard oil tankers in S.F. Bay in 1971. Many thousands of water birds were contaminated. Many hundreds of people went to help the birds. My brother was one of them so has first hand knowledge of what happened behind the scenes.
Standard Oil started donating supplies and money and eventually got the 'Bird Rescuers' to spout the oil companies clean up efforts. I believe 'Bird Rescue' still gets crazy high donations from Standard Oil. Oh, and those volunteres in charge became sell-outs to Standard Oil.
