Marathon Petroleum Co. has joined the move to cleaner burning gasolines in the U.S.
The company this week will begin selling its reformulated gasoline, Amaraclean, in regular, midgrade, and premium grade unleaded at all 161 Marathon branded service stations in the Detroit metropolitan area.
Marathon said it is the first U.S. refiner to offer reformulated motor fuel in all three octane grades. The goal is to produce fuels that burn cleaner with less evaporative and tailpipe emissions, reducing formation of airborne ozone and carbon monoxide.
Amaraclean grades, to be refined and blended at Marathon's 68,500 b/cd Detroit refinery, will have:
- Reduced vapor pressure to trim the volume of light fractions that evaporate during vehicle operation and refueling.
- Reduced aromatics content to cut tailpipe hydrocarbon emissions.
- A high octane oxygenate additive, methyl tertiary butyl ether, to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. The Detroit refinery also makes MTBE.
Marathon figures the reformulation will cut unburned hydrocarbon emissions by about 20% and carbon dioxide emissions by about 14%.
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