Ways to increase gasoline octane number

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Ways to increase gasoline octane number: The main technologies currently used to increase gasoline octane number include catalytic reforming, alkylation, isomerization, and the addition of gasoline octane number boosters (antiknock agents). Catalytic reforming is primarily used to increase the amount of aromatics and isoparaffins in gasoline in order to raise its octane rating, with aromatics making a greater contribution to this increase. The downside of using reforming to enhance gasoline octane rating is the rise in the content of aromatics and benzene. Alkylated gasoline is produced by reacting isobutane in LPG with butene-1, butene-2, and isobutylene to form isooctane; as a result, its components are all isooctane. It has a high octane rating, good sensitivity, low vapor pressure, and a wide boiling range. Being a saturated hydrocarbon free of aromatics, sulfur, and olefins, it is an ideal component for high-octane, clean gasoline. Isomerization is one of the cheapest methods for increasing gasoline octane number; it converts straight-chain alkanes in light straight-run naphtha (C5/6) into branched-chain alkanes, thereby raising the gasoline octane number by 10% to 22%. Various additives can significantly enhance the anti-knock properties of gasoline. MTBE is the earliest developed and used ether-based octane booster, but since it is not a component of gasoline (it is a hydrocarbon), it often causes various problems during use, and its price is usually high.