Blending of gasoline

The term gasohol has come into wide usage to identify, generally, a blend of gasoline and ethanol, with the latter derived from grain. The term may also be appHed to blends of methanol or other alcohols in gasolines or other hydrocarbons, without regard to sources of components. 

The world energy crisis of the 1970s, however, spurred interest once again in ethanol as a transportation fuel source. Brazil adopted the widespread production and use of Alcool, hydrated ethanol, and Gasolina a 78 22 ratio blend of gasoline ethanol as a motor fuel. Other countries developed policies to maintain a fuel grade ethanol industry by conversion of biomass. Also, clean air and reformulated fuel policies have helped to promote the use of ethanol as a viable alternative fuel. 

Iogen, a Canadian biotechnology company, makes just such an enzyme and has been operating a test plant to determine how economical the process may be. The company hopes to construct a 300-million, large-scale biorefinery with a potential output of 50 million gallons per year. Its pilot plant in Ottawa utilizes wheat straw and com stalks. In mid-2009, a Shell gasoline station in Ottawa, Canada became the first retail outlet in that nation to sell a blend of gasoline that features 10% cellulosic ethanol. 

ETBE (ethanol tertiary butyl ether, CgH, 0, density = 760 kg/m, LHV = 36 MJ/kg) is a better ingredient than bioethanol because it is not so volatile, not so corrosive, and has less affinity for water. ETBE-15 fuel is a blend of gasoline with 15% in volume of ETBE. ETBE is obtained by catal5dic reaction of bioethanol with isobutene (45%/55% in weight), noting that isobutene comes from petroleum. The other gasoline-substitute ether, MTBE (methanol tertiary butyl ether, (CH3)3-CO-CH3), is a full petroleum derivate (65% isobutene, 35% methanol). 

Ethanol, C2H5OH, is used to introduce oxygen into some blends of gasoline. It has a heat of combustion of 1366.8 kj/mol. What is the heat of formation of ethanol ... 

Oxygenated fuels (4.6) Blends of gasoline or other fuels to which oxygen-containing additives such as methanol, ethanol, or MTBE have been added to reduce undesirable exhaust emissions. 

The major wastewater from the alkylation process is the spent caustic from the neutralization of the hydrocarbon stream from the reactor. Even though the spent acids are recovered as salable by-product, leaks and spills of acid catalysts could reach the sewer lines. The major pollutants from the solvent refining processes include solvents such as phenols, glycols, and amines. Other processes for the manufacture of waxes and asphalt, and for finishing and blending of gasoline, produce relatively low volumes of dilute wastewater. 

The method has not been tested by ASTM for refinery individual hydrocarbon process streams, such as reformates, fluid catalytic cracking naphthas, etc., used in blending of gasolines. 

---