Over 90% of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) production is used in gasoline as an octane booster and oxygenate. With its high octane number, it is suitable where higher octane gasoline grades are sold. It has been favoured over ethanol because of its transportability, superior performance in reducing benzene and formaldehyde in gasoline, and its lower volatile organic compound content. 
MTBE can also be used to make high purity isobutylene which is further processed to produce butyl rubber, highly reactive polyisobutylene, methyl methacrylate (MMA) and some smaller derivatives. Most of these products are growing at rates well above global GDP as they find new applications. Additionally, MTBE is employed as a solvent and extractant.
Consumption of MTBE grew dramatically during the 1990s, mainly as a consequence of the Clean Air Act Amendments in the US that mandated the use of oxygenate in gasoline. By 2002, global demand for MTBE was approaching 22m tonnes/year, with the US responsible for nearly 60% of consumption.
However, its popularity also led to its downfall. As a result of its increased use, MTBE was found to contaminate some water supplies in the US, primarily from leaking underground gasoline storage tanks. While scientific evidence showed that this drinking water containing MTBE produced no adverse health effects, it does have an unpleasant taste and odour even in very small concentrations.
As a result, by 2005 there were 21 US states led by California committed to eliminating the use of MTBE in gasoline because of consumer concerns and the difficulty of removing MTBE from water supplies. The final blow came when the US Energy Bill, passed in August 2005, removed the oxygenate mandate and liability protection from May 2006.
From this date, MTBE has no longer been used in gasoline for US consumption because of liability concerns and is only produced for export and chemical end-uses. Many US producers have converted their plants to make isooctane, isooctene or alkylate.
In Europe, the European Commission has completed risk assessments on MTBE and concluded that there were no health concerns with the product. European demand for MTBE did increase after new regulations in 2005 required the aromatics content of gasoline to be reduced from 42% to 35%.
However, two directives have been adopted in the EU to promote the use of biofuels through tax incentives, including the addition of bioethanol to gasoline. Some European MTBE producers have taken advantage of the subsidies by converting their plants to make ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) using bioethanol.
From an engineering viewpoint, this switch is relatively easy and low cost. In addition, some producers have the flexibility to switch between the two products depending on market prices, and at times have switched back to MTBE when it has been more attractive.
The fall in European MTBE consumption has been offset by stronger demand for exports such as the Arab Gulf, Africa and South America. US exports have been directed away from Europe to Central and South America where MTBE plants have also been converted to ETBE production for export.
MTBE demand will grow in some regions of the world, notably northeast Asia, the Middle East, Indian subcontinent and eastern Europe. Northeast Asia is expected to become the largest consuming region by 2011, accounting for more than 30% of world demand.
While the trend has been to switch from MTBE to other products, MTBE capacity will increase in northeast Asia. Three new projects are expected to come on-stream in China between 2009 and 2011. Projects are also being considered in Saudi Arabia, Siberia and India.
Updated: June 2009. Source: ICB Chemical Profile, 29 June 2009.
Methyl tertiary butyl ether
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Methyl tertiary butyl ether
Process Technologies
Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is produced by reacting isobutene with methanol over a catalyst bed. The isobutene can be obtained from a number sources: a C4 stream from a steam cracker with the butadiene removed (know as Raffinate-1 which is a mixture of isobutene and 1- and 2-butenes); butene-butane fractions from a catalytic cracker; and n-butane (from LPG) which is isomerised to isobutane and then dehydrogenated to isobutene. Lyondell (Arco) derives isobutene from the dehydration of t-butyl alcohol which is coproduced in its propylene oxide process.
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