Effectiveness of dimethylethynylcarbinol and methyl tert-butyl ether on octane number increase of gasoline compositions

Despite the significant increase in requirements to the quality of motor fuel, harmful exhaust gases from gasoline combustion are still a major environmental problem. Today gasoline occupies one of the leading positions among primary energy sources. The problem of improving the quality of gasoline is one of the urgent problems of the chemical industry. In order to reduce harmful exhaust emissions from internal combustion engines, improve the detonation resistance of fuels and utilize renewable fuels, many different oxygen-containing additives are added to base gasoline. The research and development of new oxygen-containing additives for gasoline based on tertiary acetylene alcohols is an important and urgent task. The influence of dimethylethynylcarbinol (DMEC) and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) on the increase of octane number of gasoline compositions was evaluated by the increase of octane number of straight-run gasoline and reforming gasoline blends in the ratios of 30:70 and 20:80. Aliphatic acetylene alcohol DMEС was obtained by condensation of acetone and acetylene under Favorsky reaction conditions. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized DMEС correspond to the literature data. Straight-run gasoline and reforming gasoline produced by “Atyrau Oil Refinery” LLP were used for the study. Determination of octane number of gasoline compositions containing the proposed additives was carried out by express method on the gasoline detonation resistance meter on the octanometer SHATOX SX-100K. It was determined that DMEС is an effective oxygenate additive for increasing the octane number of gasoline compositions compared to MTBE. The research of influence of oxygenates as MTBE and DMEС on increase of octane number of gasoline compositions consisting of straight-run gasoline and reforming gasoline in different ratios showed that increase of octane number at addition of DMEС is higher than at addition of MTBE. According to the results of research, tertiary acetylene alcohol - DMEС can be proposed as an oxygencontaining additive to motor gasoline.