07-02-2006, 03:07 AM
[quote Kiva]ethanol has replaced mtbe, at least in CA, as an additive that reduces emissions. MTBE is bad stuff...
Ethanol causes higher emissions than MTBE as an oxygenate because of it's higher vapor pressure.
It also contributes to significantly higher prices because it cannot be mixed with the gasoline until it hits the truck that goes to the station. It cannot be mixed and distributed by the various gasoline pipelines, so it must be railed from the midwest to everywhere it is used.
MTBE is a much better gasoline additive, but it got caught in a political perfect storm caused by the oil industry and the Archer Daniels Midland agricultural lobby when gas station owners did not repair their leaking underground storage tanks even though there was Federal money set aside specifically for this purpose.
Currently, the US is shipping MTBE to Europe. Europe has enforced regulations on undergound storage tanks, does not have a leaking problem and loves both MTBE and the ethanol-derived equivalent, ETBE. Europe is trans-shipping alkylate gasoline components to the US. Costs are higher is both places.
Assinine.
Ethanol causes higher emissions than MTBE as an oxygenate because of it's higher vapor pressure.
It also contributes to significantly higher prices because it cannot be mixed with the gasoline until it hits the truck that goes to the station. It cannot be mixed and distributed by the various gasoline pipelines, so it must be railed from the midwest to everywhere it is used.
MTBE is a much better gasoline additive, but it got caught in a political perfect storm caused by the oil industry and the Archer Daniels Midland agricultural lobby when gas station owners did not repair their leaking underground storage tanks even though there was Federal money set aside specifically for this purpose.
Currently, the US is shipping MTBE to Europe. Europe has enforced regulations on undergound storage tanks, does not have a leaking problem and loves both MTBE and the ethanol-derived equivalent, ETBE. Europe is trans-shipping alkylate gasoline components to the US. Costs are higher is both places.
Assinine.