Ethyl tertiary butyl ether Overview Transcript
Ethyl tertiary butyl ether, or ETBE is a gasoline blending agent made from bioethanol. It increases the oxygenate level and improves the quality of gases.
It performs a similar role to traditional gasoline components such as MTBE but has added value because it is a biofuel.
EU mandated renewable fuel targets mean that biofuels in Europe command a premium over regular fuel equivalents and ETBE is traded on a premium over MTBE because of that.
The European ETBE market is subject to seasonal variations in demand, similar to those in the gasoline markets and can also be subject to fluctuations in supply. This is because, in addition to European production, the market relies on imports from South America.
The price of ETBE, while being largely determined by that of MTBE, is also influenced by supply and demand fundamentals, as well as the price of feedstock bioethanol, which is itself subject to a high degree of variability. It’s an unpredictable market.