Name: Kevin
Status: student
Grade: 9-12
Location: MO
Country: N/A
Date: 11/4/2005
Question:
What additives are in gasoline, and why are they in there?
Replies:
Ethanol and methyl,t-butyl ether are common additives found in gasoline.
These oxygenated additives are supposed to provide a "cleaner" burning
gasoline -- that is, an exhaust that contains less Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOC's). The significant efficacy of these additives has not
been universally accepted, however. In addition, gasoline formulations
containing these additives are not used nationwide. They are primarily
found in areas designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as "high
risk" atmospheric pollution areas. While difficult to quantify, the data
one way or the other, in these areas is "mixed". This probably means that
the pollution problem is much more complicated than simply the formulation
of the fuel.
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