Regulatory Announcement

EPA Announces Decision for 

Regulation of Fuel and Fuel Additives: 

Modification to Octamix Waiver 

Regarding TOLADMFA-10A 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing 

modification of the Texas Methanol’s gasoline-alcohol fuel 

waiver, also known as OCTAMIX, to allow the use of Baker 

Hughes corrosion inhibitor, TOLAD MFA-10A. 

Elements of this Notice 

The Texas Methanol Corporation received a waiver under CAA section 211(f)(4) 

for a gasoline-alcohol fuel blend, known as OCTAMIX,1 provided that the resultant 

fuel is composed of a maximum of 3.7 percent by weight fuel oxygen, a maximum of 

5 percent by volume methanol, a minimum of 2.5 percent by volume co-solvents2 

and 42.7 milligrams per liter (mg/l) of Petrolite TOLAD MFA-10 corrosion inhibitor3. 

In the OCTAMIX waiver, the Agency invited other corrosion inhibitor manufacturers to submit test data to establish, on a case-by-case basis, whether their fuel 

additive formulations are acceptable as alternatives to TOLAD MFA-10.4 

1 OCTAMIX decision, 53 FR 3636 (February 8, 1988). 
 2 The co-solvents are any one or a mixture of ethanol, propanols, butanols, pentanols, hexanols,
 

heptanols and octanols with the following constraints; the ethanol, propanols and butanols or
 

mixtures thereof must compose a minimum of 60 percent by weight of the co-solvent mixture; a
 

maximum limit of 40 percent by weight of the co-solvents mixture is placed on the pentanols, hexanols,
 

heptanols and octanols; and the heptanols and octanols are limited to 5 percent by weight of the
 

co-solvent mixture.
 

3 Additional conditions were the final fuel must meet ASTM volatility specifications contained in 


ASTM D439-85a, as well as phase separation conditions specified in ASTM D-2 Proposal P-176 and 


Texas Methanol alcohol purity specifications.
 4 53 FR at 3637.
 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

EPA-420-F-12-026

 June 2012 
Regulatory Announcement

 

 

On January 20, 2012, EPA published a notice in the Federal Register (77 FR 2979) announcing 

receipt of Baker Hughes’s request and inviting comment on it. The comment period closed on 

February 21, 2012. EPA received comments from four commenters. All commenters were in 

support of the request. Baker Hughes provided data showing their corrosion inhibitor, TOLAD 

MFA-10A passed the NACE corrosion test.5 With this notice, EPA is announcing its decision 

to modify the OCTAMIX waiver to allow the use of TOLAD MFA-10A as an alternative corrosion 

inhibitor to TOLAD MFA-10. 

Health and Environmental Impacts 

There will be no adverse health or environmental impact as a result of allowing this alternative 

corrosion inhibitor, TOLAD MFA-10A, and the clean air benefits of EPA’s gasoline motor 

vehicle fuel programs will continue to be realized. 

Gasoline Supply Benefits 

This action may provide additional flexibility to the regulated community by allowing an additional 

corrosion inhibitor for use in Texas Methanol’s gasoline-alcohol fuel, also known as OCTAMIX. 

For More Information 

You can access the rule and related documents on EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air 

Quality (OTAQ) Web site at: 

www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/registrationfuels/notices.htm 

For more information on this rule, please contact Joe Sopata at: 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality (6406J)
 

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
 

Washington, DC 20460
 

(202) 343-9034
 

E-mail: sopata.joe@epa.gov
 

NACE Standard TM0172-2001.

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