More Japan Gas Stations to Sell 7% ETBE Blend
17 April 2008
The Petroleum Association of Japan said Thursday that 50 gas stations will launch &ldqou;biogasoline” sales in fiscal 2008, which began this month. Biogasoline is made by blending 7% ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), a mixture of plant-derived bioethanol and isobutene, with gasoline.
The number of Japanese service stations offering biogasoline will increase to 100. Sales started in fiscal 2007 at 50 gas stations in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures: Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba.
Of the 50 additional outlets, 39 are in Tokyo and the three prefectures, and 11 are in five other prefectures: Osaka, Miyagi, Gunma, Ibaraki and Shizuoka.
I hope Mother Nature won't throw the kind of frustrating show-stopper in our faces regarding ETBE, that she did with MTBE back in the 1990's when the latter turned up in water wells and lakes. That was a frustration, as MTBE was a good gasoline additive.
Posted by: Alex Kovnat | 17 April 2008 at 11:29 AM
I saw MTBE as a cheap oxygenate. The law was written to require "an oxygenate" and the refiners picked MTBE. I can imagine lots of lobbying before the law was written and there seemed to be no EPA review, or at least not much of one.
Posted by: sjc | 17 April 2008 at 08:37 PM
Another example of watermelons who know little, and could care less, as long as they can jump in front of the mob, as leaders, demanding CHANGE and immediate ACTION, whatever it is.
They are extremly apt at jumping from the frying pan into the fire, and invoking unintended consequences.
Posted by: stas peterson | 19 April 2008 at 09:47 PM