AM-92-28 HYDRATION OF PROPYLENE TO DIISOPROPYL ETHER-A NEW SOURCE OF FUEL OXYGEN

Description:

Due to the increasing regulatory requirements for minimum fuel oxygen content, ethers and/or alcohols are required as fuel blending stocks. Although the tax incentive makes ethanol an attractive fuel oxygen source, most refiners find ethanol addition difficult if not impossible due to incompatibility of alcohols with most pipeline distribution systems. The most widely used ether has been methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) due to the availability of refinery isobutylene. Ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) could also become important but it would compete for the same isobutylene as MTBE. Tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME) may become more important as C5 olefins are reduced to meet more stringent Reid vapor pressure (RVP) regulations and possible future controls on gasoline light olefin content.