Beijing will launch new fuel standards that will restrict sulfur content in order to cut emissions on May 31, according to the city's environmental authority.

The new standards will reduce sulfur content from 50 to 10 milligrams per kg of gasoline or diesel, Li Kunsheng, head of the vehicle emissions management department of Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, said on Thursday.

"Sulfur content is a major environmental index for fuel. In this regard, Beijing's upcoming standards will be equivalent to the European Union's Euro V standards," Li said.

Decreasing the amount of sulfur in fuel can reduce damage to vehicles' exhaust purifiers and thus help cut emissions, he said.

The new standards are expected to reduce emissions by 15 percent, according to research conducted by the China Automobile Technology and Research Center.

Li said nitrogen oxide, volatile organic compounds and small particulate matter from vehicle emissions are respectively responsible for 58 percent, 40 percent and 22 percent of air pollution in the city.

The new standards also reduce the limit for manganese in fuel from 0.006 grams to 0.002 grams per liter, according to Li.

The price of fuel will not immediately change after the new standards take effect, he said.

Local authorities will start testing oil products on the market on Aug. 1 to ensure they are in line with the new standards, according to

Fan Yaoguang, an official from the municipal industry and commerce bureau.

Source:english.sepa.gov