MTBE phaseout: A boon for ethanol producers.
As the nation moves toward phasing out methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in gasoline, ethanol is emerging as a potential replacement in reformulated gasoline (RFG). Such an outcome poses questions about ethanol producers' readiness to meet the expanded demand. Ethanol's use as an oxygenate in RFG is well established, as it is used in 17 states and Washington, DC. Its biodegradability in the environment, insist those in the ethanol industry, makes it a safer gasoline additive man MTBE. Terry Jaffoni, ethanol commercial director of Cargill, Inc., who spoke in February at the Clean Fuels 2000 conference held in San Diego, CA, discounted any problems associated with ethanol's solubility in groundwater, saying, "The only thing you are going to end up with ethanol in the water is a lot of happy fish." She noted also that because ethanol contains twice as much oxygen per volume as MTBE less ethanol is required to