AM-00-53 REFINING OPTIONS FOR MTBE-FREE GASOLINE

Description:

On December 9, 1999, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved Phase HI gasoline regulations, which prohibit the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in California's reformulated gasoline (RFG) starting December 31, 2002. California RFG contains approximately 12 vol% MTBE, in part to meet the oxygen requirement of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Additionally, MTBE has favorable distillation characteristics and provides octane and dilution benefits to the gasoline pool. As California refiners evaluate blending options regarding MTBE-free gasoline, refiners across the country recognize that they may possibly face similar challenges. Despite increasingly stringent regulations, alkylate continues to be an excellent gasoline blending component. Alkylation of additional propylene, butylene and amylene feeds can help refiners meet the challenges ahead.