These 'Butane' refills

CEBU, Philippines - The word “butane” has, these past years, come to refer to gas canisters mainly used for cooking and other kitchen uses. This is at least true in highly populated areas in the country, like Cebu. Unfortunately, though, ‘butane’ users have yet a lot to know about the thing – and their ignorance can pose really serious risks.

One morning last week, the city was rocked by a big explosion when a delivery vehicle loaded with filled ‘butane’ canisters collided with a school bus bringing children to school. Luckily, the loss from the accident was limited to the cost of the ‘butane’ canisters and the damage to both vehicles. And there’s a ‘silver lining’ to it – the crash has directed public attention to certain safety issues about ‘butane’.

Last year, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) recorded at least seven fire incidents attributed to the misuse of ‘butane’ canisters. Three of the fires happened in Cebu City, and two each in Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue Cities.

The Department of Trade and Industry had previously taken initial moves to regulate the ‘butane’ business in the city, for lack of safety standards. Last week’s accident has also prompted the BFP to “call on local government units to initiate the stoppage and closure of all business establishments and small stores involved in refilling [and selling] ‘butane’ canisters with liquefied petroleum gas.” The practice was called ‘illegal’ by BFP-7 Director Esmael Codilla, according to a news report.

And now the Department of Energy (DOE) would supposedly be involved. The notice that concerned government agencies have taken on the ‘butane’ issue is reassuring. But homemakers who have come to regard ‘butane’ canisters to be as safe as the regular tanks of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) have yet to see concrete action from the authorities.

Equally important, ‘butane’ users need to be educated.  While the P13 to P15 price per refilled canister may seem like a good bargain compared to the P55 to P75 price of a brand-new butane canister at the supermarkets, customers may not actually be getting the real value they paid for. First of all, the DOE has earlier advised that butane canisters are to be used only on a “one-time” basis and must never be refilled with LPG, as it may result to accidents such as explosions and fire.

Refilled gas canisters usually contain LPG and not mainly butane, although LPG is a combination of butane and propane gases. Butane, like all natural gases, is a colorless and odorless hydrocarbon in its natural form. It burns when exposed to oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. It is a component of natural gas that is extracted during the refinement process of petroleum products. It can be derived from the fractional distillation of crude oil, which also produces such components as petrol, diesel oil, and kerosene, although butane is extracted only in much smaller quantities from crude oil.

LPG can contain a combination of 90-percent propane and 10-percent butane and other derivatives. When the combination is the other way around, it is labeled “butane.” Both combinations can be contained in the same type of canisters and can be used in all devices that work with such canisters.

The website www.butanesource.com points out the differences between butane and LPG:

Price. Butane is less expensive than propane (or the LPG combination) and a canister filled with butane often contains more than a same size canister of LPG.

Energy Efficiency. Butane provides about 12 percent more energy than propane when the same volumes are burned above freezing. This means that a consumer won’t have to buy as many butane refills as he would LPG, making it ideal for bringing along on camping trips.

Usability. The main difference between butane and propane is that butane doesn’t work well in low temperatures. When in temperatures lower than freezing, the gas will stay in its liquid form and there will not be enough pressure to release it and produce a flame.

Availability.  Propane is more widely available than butane, and may be a more convenient choice unless one orders ahead or stock up on butane.

But then again, the advantages of either gas combinations would seem to pale against the danger if these products are mishandled.  Authorities say that canisters weakened by rust and corrosion may explode during the refilling process, particularly in so-called ‘backyard’ refilling endeavors.  Even if the common apprehension about decrepit looking gas canisters may be unfounded, the government must still step in to put the public at ease.

The legitimate gas-canister refillers vouch to the safety of their products. They argue that the explosions and fires attributed to ‘butane’ canisters are actually due to other factors than the product itself being unsafe. In the public view, however, such argument is quite self-serving and not to be taken as safety guarantee. (FREEMAN)