Does TAME have potential as a blending agent to improve gasoline octane rating?
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Some C5 is produced as a by-product in coal-based olefin plants. If C5 is used together with methanol in an etherification process to produce TAME, which can then be sold as a separate product for use in raising the octane rating of gasoline, is there any potential for this approach?
TAME, or methyl tert-pentyl ether, is a C5 ether derivative; since its raw materials are methanol and C5 compounds, its cost is low. It is generally blended into gasoline for sale. Ignoring environmental policy requirements, compared to MTBE, TAME has a lower octane rating and a higher oxygen content. The amount that can be added is limited, and there are many by-products of the etherification process, which makes it difficult to sell. Furthermore, during the 3.15 campaign in 2015, some products from Shandong were found to contain TAME, which is said to have a softening effect on automotive fuel systems
Is TAME’s octane number low? I disagree with you; TAME has an octane rating of 111, and it outperforms MTBE in terms of parameters such as vapor pressure and solubility in water. Among all the commonly used ether oxides, TAME has the greatest environmental benefit; it not only reduces pollution from vehicle exhaust emissions but also converts the most volatile and highly reactive pentadienols in gasoline into ethers with very low vapor pressures.
TAME is the product of the reaction between isopentene and methanol in light gasoline C5; after being processed in a fractionation tower, TAME has an octane number of around 120 (RON), and an oxygen content of about 10%. Its use in gasoline blending does not cause any secondary environmental problems!
We do not produce pure TAME; our facility is only capable of etherifying light gasoline, with TAME being the main product. But the yield is very low. The distillation effect is also poor
What is the unit? What is the production capacity of your light gasoline etherification plant?
Tianhong’s design capacity is 300,000 tons per year
After the etherification of light gasoline, separation is carried out in an etherification distillation tower; the top product of the tower is unreacted light gasoline, while the bottom product consists of TAME and light gasoline, which are used as components for formulating high-purity gasoline. Of course, the purity of TAME at the bottom of the tower is not very high, as the main focus is on using TAME in gasoline formulation as well as on saving energy and reducing consumption; therefore, no special efforts were made to improve the separation efficiency of the catalytic distillation tower. Our facility is on a similar scale to yours; we hope to have the opportunity to exchange ideas!
May I ask what catalyst you are using, and what is the conversion rate of isoprene? How is the operation of the catalytic distillation tower?