Episode 025 - Oxygenates (Part 2)

In this episode, we're continuing our discussion on oxygenates and their essential role in fuel. With concerns about air quality in the United States, the federal government began implementing requirements to reduce emissions and clean up the air. One of the solutions that gained traction was adding oxygenates to gasoline, which increases the oxygen content of the fuel and results in cleaner burning and fewer emissions.

Today we'll explore which state led the way in implementing these fuel requirements, as well as how their actions influenced the adoption of oxygenated fuels across the country. Additionally, we'll look closer at the most commonly used oxygenate in fuel today and why it became so popular. Listen in to learn about the issues that ultimately led to the discontinuation of one of the most popular oxygenates, MTBE, and the important role of oxygenates in fuel and their impact on the environment.

Listen to the Full Episode:

What You'll Learn:

• Which state led the change in fuel requirements.
• The importance of creating cost-effective solutions.
• What is being used in most of the fuel across the USA to meet the environmental requirements.
• Why MTBE became so popular.
• What the Energy Policy Act of 2005 did.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• “If you mix in an oxygenate to the fuel, you raise the total oxygen content of that gasoline. It will burn cleaner, more completely, and the emissions that you get from that are going to be a lot better. ” - Erik Bjornstad
• “It doesn’t matter if you have something that is the most environmentally friendly thing in the world if it costs you $5 a gallon to use.” - Erik Bjornstad
• “The more oxygen you have in gasoline, the better the emissions.” - Erik Bjornstad
• “The issue with MTBE is that it does not take very much to make water undrinkable, and it is potentially carcinogenic.” - Erik Bjornstad
• “MTBE is not a biofuel; ethanol is biofuel.” - Erik Bjornstad

Resources:

• Erik Bjornstad: LinkedIn