Methanol octane enhancing oxygenates

MTBE is made by catalytically reacting methanol and isobutylene. The outlook for MTBE is murlty because the primary application, a gasoline octane enhancer/oxygenate, is under attack because of environmental reasons. 

Methanol and a number of other alcohols and ethers are considered high-octane enhancers of gasoline. They can be produced from various hydrocarbon sources other than petroleum and may also offer environmental advantages insofar as the use of oxygenates would presumably suppress the release of vehicle pollutants into the air. 

Even though new MTBE plants are not being built in North America, CD is used currently for the production of other oxygenates such as TAME or ETBE, which being less soluble in water (i.e., less tendency to be transported in groundwater) are being considered or used as alternative octane enhancers. Ethyl-tert-butyl ether is produced from the etherification of ethanol and isobutylene while TAME production requires isoamylene and methanol. A simulation of the industrial production of a green octane enhancer from... 

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