Octane blending
Overview
Demand for high octane components vary throughout the year depending on seasonality, premium gasoline market share, and refinery performance. Stricter gasoline standards also contribute to demand for high octane components.
Among the list of high-octane components are reformate, alkylate, MTBE, ETBE, toluene, xylenes, ethyl benzene, and others. Some of these components primarily see demand from the chemical market but could be diverted to the gasoline pool if there are returns in that segment.
Each blendstock has specific octane rating and rvp content that determines its value in the gasoline pool. Gasoline blenders will look at market prices for each of the octanes and see how it relates to the value in the gasoline pool. In the summer of 2023, high volumes of ethylbenzene were diverted to the gasoline instead of the production of styrene, as styrene prices fell below ethylbenzene blend value.
MTBE is a high-octane component for gasoline blending, but only used in some countries. MTBE demand has been led by growth in Asia, Middle East, and Latin Markets. Other regions have focused on increased biofuel usage which includes ethanol and ETBE.
Argus’ experts will help you determine what trends to track and how to stay competitive in today’s ever-changing global markets.
Latest octane blending news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global octane blending industry.
Dow to idle one cracker at Terneuzen
Dow to idle one cracker at Terneuzen
London, 24 January (Argus) — Dow is postponing a planned turnaround at one of its three steam crackers in Terneuzen, the Netherlands, "due to continued weakened market conditions in the region". This will result in the cracker being idled when its legal inspection dates are reached, understood to be within the next few months. "The decision enables Dow to both navigate soft market conditions in the region and reduce expenditures in 2025, while still enabling the company to safely, reliably, and profitably meet contracted customer commitments", Dow said. Local reports citing workers suggest that the unit in question is the number 3 cracker at Terneuzen. This was expected to have maintenance in 2023, but that was previously postponed to this year and has now been postponed indefinitely. Cracker 3 is the newest unit at Terneuzen and in common with crackers 1 and 2 has a high degree of flexibility for LPG feedstocks, which Dow has repeatedly cited has supported healthy operating margins relative to naphtha-based crackers. But the site is long on cracker products and placing volumes in the market has been challenging because of overall weak demand in Europe. The length was exacerbated by the closure of local derivatives such as ethylbenzene-styrene production operated by Trinseo and cumene production operated by Olin in 2023. It has been unclear how hard the three crackers at Terneuzen have been running in the past two years. Dow's internal and contractual demand may be supported by the remaining two crackers. There is no timeline on any restart, but it is likely to be dependent on demand and investment to complete required maintenance. Terneuzen 3 has nameplate capacities of 600,000 t/yr ethylene and 300,000 t/yr propylene. The other operating crackers have a combined capacity of 1,200,000 t/yr feeding local PE production of 880,000 t/yr. Propylene nameplate capacity of these crackers is 590,000 t/yr, which is shipped to Dow and other customers via vessel or in the northwest European pipeline system. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Poland's Azoty nears sale of PDH/PP plant to Orlen
Poland's Azoty nears sale of PDH/PP plant to Orlen
London, 17 January (Argus) — Poland's chemical conglomerate Grupa Azoty is nearing a sale of its 437,000 t/yr propane dehydrogenation (PDH) and 429,000 t/yr polypropylene (PP) plant to compatriot oil company Orlen. Azoty and Orlen have been discussing potential partnerships over the PDH/PP plant, in Police, since September 2024 . Those talks "clearly confirm" the aim of the negotiations would be to sell the entire plant, or at least a stake in it, to Orlen, Azoty said. The companies agreed to negotiate a potential transaction by 31 March, although the deadline can be extended if required. Azoty is intensifying efforts to divest assets as it tries to turn around loss-making operations and offload more than 9bn zlotys ($2.17bn) in debt that is predominantly loans taken out to build the PDH/PP plant. In November Azoty said the PDH/PP plant is gradually ramping up production , but that it needs time to stabilise output and reach capacity to ensure economic feasibility. By Tomasz Stepien Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Eni plans to close Brindisi cracker by end April
Eni plans to close Brindisi cracker by end April
Milan, 15 January (Argus) — Italy's Eni is planning to close its steam cracking capacity in Brindisi by the end of April despite calls for a rethink, trade union Filctem Cgil said. "The company said it intends to close the cracker within the first four months of the year," Filctem Cgil national secretary Antonio Pepe told Argus . The timeline emerged last week at a meeting between the trade unions, government and Eni at the industry ministry in Rome called to discuss the next steps for the Brindisi plant. It followed an earlier meeting in December on Eni's plans to shut its cracking capacity at Priolo in Sicily and end polyethylene production at its 160,000t/yr site in Ragusa. At that meeting Eni said it intended to close the Priolo cracker by the end of this year and start of 2026. "There will now be a final meeting at the end of this month to pull together the threads of the two meetings and take decisions," Pepe said. Eni, which is more than 30pc state owned, is looking to significantly cut the exposure of its chemicals business Versalis to basic chemicals, a sector that it sees is facing structural and irreversible decline in Europe. Last October, it unveiled a €2bn ($2.06bn) euro restructuring plan to close basic chemical plants and invest in innovative platforms over the next five years. The plans include building a new biorefinery at the Priolo site at a cost of around €800-900mn. Eni has previously said the Brindisi and Priolo crackers will be shut down within 12-18 months . The nameplate ethylene capacity at Brindisi is 410,000 t/yr and propylene capacity is 220,000 t/yr. The Priolo site has nameplate capacities of 430,000 t/yr ethylene, 250,000 t/yr propylene, and 790,000 t/yr aromatics. Filctem CGIL has called on Rome to reject Eni's plans to close cracking operations at Brindisi and Priolo, claiming it would put 20,000 jobs at risk and deal a death blow to Italy's chemicals industry. By Stephen Jewkes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Viewpoint: US maintenance to limit EO, derivatives
Viewpoint: US maintenance to limit EO, derivatives
Houston, 31 December (Argus) — Multiple ethylene oxide (EO) and derivative turnarounds may limit US supply in the first half of 2025. At least six producers of EO and derivatives are expected to be down for maintenance in February-June. Some are just two weeks while others are 30-45 days. Most US EO producers are integrated to produce derivatives such as monoethylene glycol (MEG), diethylene glycol (DEG) and triethylene glycol (TEG). This dynamic has market participants anticipating the derivatives will feel the supply squeeze in the first half of the year. The producers with planned maintenance have the capacity to produce over 3mn metric tonnes (t) of ethylene glycol during the five months of turnarounds, according to Argus data. These supply limitations are expected to tighten the spot market more than the contracted volumes, as the US is a typically a net exporter of MEG, DEG and TEG. Any delays in restarts or unplanned outages could quickly change the US ethylene glycol supply picture. Additionally, multiple steam-cracker maintenance projects are planned for the first quarter of 2025, which will limit supply of feedstock ethylene and likely raise feedstock costs in the short term. Some market participants see the US entering the heavy turnaround season at minimum inventories. The US is still rebuilding stocks of EO derivatives such as MEG, DEG and TEG after constraints in September and October tightened supply. Some planned and several unplanned outages occurred in September that were not resolved until mid-October. During this time, spot supply was harder to find but seasonal demand was starting to slow, according to market participants. Despite these supply constraints, exports of MEG rose by 32pc to 312,800t in September compared to a year earlier. The US exported 317,900t of MEG in October, a 53pc increase on the year. Overlapping turnarounds in the first half of 2025 could slow exports as the US is typically a net exporter of MEG, DEG and TEG. Market participants anticipate first-quarter demand to be similar to the last three months of the year with the addition of some restocking activity. By Catherine Rabe Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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