United States experience with gasoline additives

History, benefits and problems associated with gasoline additives in the United States were reviewed. To reduce air toxics and ozone in highly air-polluted areas of the country, oxygenates will continue to be added to gasoline until an alternative is sought and approved by the Congress of the United States. In near future, the use of methyl tert butyl ether (MTBE) will be reduced from its present magnitude and could be replaced by ethanol or other oxygenates that are less harmful to the environment. With rising oil prices, global warming and other environmental issues in the horizon, it is very likely that in the future, hydrogen will substitute gasoline to power electrically driven motors in automobiles. Nevertheless, hydrogen has to be extracted from a readily available source such as gasoline. If gasoline is going to be used as a source of hydrogen, it has to be reformulated from its present form and there will be no need for any additives. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.