American Petroleum Institute

Alcohols and Ethers a Technical Assessment of Their Application as Fuels and Fuel Components - Third Edition
 N PUBL 4261

Annotation

GENERAL

In 1971 the American Petroleum Institute (API) studied the feasibility of blending ethanol with gasoline to augment domestic fuel supplies for transportation. After the first Arab oil embargo in 1974, interest in using alcohols as fuels expanded to include methanol, not only as a transportation fuel, but also as a fuel for stationary power sources. In response to that expanded interest, the API published an updated technical assessment in 1976.

Since 1976, many changes have occurred in the use of petroleum and non-petroleum fuels, both neat and in blends with hydrocarbon components. The earlier objective of augmenting domestic energy sources was joined by two additiional objectives: a) to produce high octane gasoline without the use of lead alkyls, and b) to reduce the contribution of motor vehicles and stationary sources to air pollution. In response to the expanded use of oxygenates, API published a second updated technical assessment in 1988. Today, federal law requires that oxygenates be blended with gasoline in the wintertime in certain areas and be a part of reformulated gasoline in specified areas of the United States.

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 expanded the interest in alcohols and ethers. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 mandated the use of oxygenates to reduce wintertime carbon monoxide emissions in carbon monoxide nonattainment areas. It also required oxygenates in reformulated gasoline (RFG) which is mandated for use in extreme and severe ozone nonattainment areas and other ozone nonattainment areas which opt to require reformulated gasoline. Nonattainment areas are those areas not meeting the statutory federal standards for ambient carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide nonattainment areas) and ozone (ozone nonattainment areas).