PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ETBE FROM HYDROUS ETHANOL IN A LAB SCALE MICROUNIT

ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURES AND OCTANE NEEDS POINT TO MORE OXYGENATE USE IN GASOLINE, HOLDING HOPE FOR INCREASED GRAINUTILIZATION AS ETHANOL. TEHCNICAL CONSTRAITS, SOLVED BY CONVERSION TO ETHYL T-BUTYL ETHER, HAVE KEPT ETHANOL FROM MAINSTREAM REFINERY USE. THIS PROJECT SEEKS OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS FOR LAB SCALE CONVERSION OF HYDROUS ETHANOL TO ETBE, AND A THOROUGH CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PROJECT. A 600ML/HOUR STAINLESS STEEL MICROUNIT WILL PRODUCE ETBE USINGALCOHOL OF VARYING PROOF. THE DIFFERENT PRODUCTS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED TWO WAYS: CONVENTIONAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS, ANDGASOLINE BLEND PROPERTIES SUCH AS RVP AND DISTILLATION CURVE. RESULTS WILL BE ANALYZED AND COMPARED WITH CONVENTIONAL HYDROCARBON GASOLINE, ETBE BLENDS MADE WITH ANHYDROUS DERIVED ETHER, AND OTHER OXYGENATE BLENDS. HARMFUL EMISSIONS REDUCTION POTENTIAL WILL BE ESTIMATED. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT HYDROUS-DERIVED MATERIAL, CONTAINING T-BUTYL ALCOHOL, WILL BE AS GOOD AS A BLENDING AGENT AS ETBEMADE FROM ANHYDROUS ETHANOL, AND CONSIDERABLY LOWER IN COST.BESIDES BEING A GOOD BLENDING COMPONENT IN ITS OWN RIGHT, ETBE/TBA BLENDS ARE THOUGHT TO BE COSOLVENTS FOR HYDROUS ALCOHOL IN GASOLINE, AND THIS COULD LEAD TO A NEW PRODUCT AND MARKET FOR GRAIN-TO-ETHANOL. GASOLINES CONTAINING SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITIES OF RENEWABLE AND DOMESTICALLY DERIVEDAGRICULTURAL COMPONENTS ARE GOOD FOR NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOR FEDERAL FARM PROGRAMS.