California wrestles with this balance and decides to eliminate MTBE over time. But other jurisdictions do not. Beginning with 1976, engines with catalytic converters could no longer burn lead-containing fuels. By the end of the century, more than 300,000 barrels per day of MTBE was being blended into gasoline in the United States. There is no single gasoline composition across the country.
Gasolines differ from location to location and from season to season.
MTBE is a manufactured product, formed by combining isobutylene with methanol in the presence of a catalyst. It is a flammable liquid that blends with gasoline in all proportions. But it is also soluble in water and this factor prompts concern about contamination of water supplies with MTBE . Kennesaw State University 1000 Chastain Rd.