Methyl Tertiary-butyl Ether (MTBE) – Uses, Prices, and Production

This blog is the twenty-first in a series of blogs I plan to write providing use, price, and production data on high-use inorganic and organic chemicals.  Click here to see the first blog in this series and a list of chemicals to be featured.  This blog provides data on methyl tertiary-butyl ether.  The primary purpose of these blogs is to present estimates of recent price, production, and sales revenues for the chemicals.  The last blog in this series will compare price, production, and sales data for all the chemicals. 

Uses.  Uses of methyl tertiary-butyl ether include:

Ø  As a gasoline additive to prevent knocking (~90% of use); and

Ø  As an industrial solvent.

Methyl tertiary-butyl ether works to reduce knocking by providing oxygen to the gasoline mixture.

Use of methyl tertiary-butyl ether as a gasoline additive is prohibited in the United States and other countries due to environmental concerns; this is a trend in other countries effecting methyl tertiary-butyl ether production growth.

Prices.  2019 global methyl tertiary-butyl ether prices are believed to be in the range of $700 to $800 per metric ton (mt).

Production.  Ethyl tertiary-butyl ether is produced by reacting methanol with isobutylene using an acid catalyst.

From the internet, estimated 2019 global production of methyl tertiary-butyl ether is in the 18 to 21 million mt range.  Using 18 and 21 million mt produced and the prices of $700 and $800 per mt (see Prices above) gives 2019 global revenues generated by methyl tertiary-butyl ether in the $12.6 to $16.8 billion range (18 million mt times $700 per mt; 21 million mt times $800 per mt).