Bio-ETBE

The bio-ETBE – acronym for bio-ethyl-ter-butyl ether – is an MTBE-alike  product that has aquired a preminent position in the formulation of  European Union's gasolines  because its feed-stock, made of agricultural ethanol, allowes the product to be eligible for the bio-classification according to the EU Directives for bio-fuels. From the technical point of view it is very similar to MTBE, then  the replacement in the blending pool of MTBE with ETBE, if necessary for complying with the bio requirements,  does not create any problem to refineries.
The world ETBE market in 2008 is estimated 2.2 milllion tons, at present limited to European Union and Japan.