octaneenhancer

Octane enhancers are additives used in gasoline to increase its octane rating. The octane rating is a measure of a fuel's resistance to knocking or pinging, which is an uncontrolled combustion of the fuel-air mixture in an internal combustion engine. A higher octane rating indicates greater resistance to knocking.

The most common octane enhancer historically was tetraethyllead (TEL), also known as lead. Lead was phased out of gasoline in most parts of the world due to environmental and health concerns related to lead pollution. Today, other octane enhancers are used. Common examples include methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), and ethanol. MTBE was widely used but has also faced environmental scrutiny due to groundwater contamination. Ethanol, a biofuel, is now a common octane enhancer and is blended with gasoline in varying percentages, such as E10 (10% ethanol) or E85 (85% ethanol).

Other chemical compounds can also act as octane enhancers, though they may be less common or used in specific formulations. The primary goal of using octane enhancers is to allow engines to operate with higher compression ratios, which can improve fuel efficiency and engine performance. However, the specific octane requirements of an engine are determined by its design, and using fuel with an octane rating higher than recommended by the manufacturer generally does not provide any benefit and can be more expensive.