ABSTRACT
Alkylate is obtained from the reaction of olefins such as butenes, pentenes, propenes, and isobutane, which are mainly produced in hydrotreaters and by the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process. This gasoline component increases the octane rating, does not contain sulfur, and has zero aromatics, aside from having low measures of fuel volatility and evaporative emissions (low Reid vapor pressure, RVP). Due to the importance of the formulation of fuels in the immediate future, this chapter analyzes the two industrial processes through which alkylate is mainly produced – by means of alkylation reactions and employing acid-liquid catalysts, such as H2SO4 and hydrofluoric acid. Since these strong acids require the implementation of highly safe processes for environment-concomitant operation, alternative technologies based on the development of solid catalysts such as zeolites and alkylation processes featuring ionic liquids (ILs) as catalysts are also discussed.
