Evaluation of the Effects of MTBE–Methanol–Gasoline Fuel on the Energy Performance and Emission Characteristics of an Engine

Nguyen Van  Tuan; Nguyen The  Truc

doi:10.6180/jase.202608_31.063

Evaluation of the Effects of MTBE–Methanol–Gasoline Fuel on the Energy Performance and Emission Characteristics of an Engine

Nguyen Van Tuan¹This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Nguyen The Truc²

¹School Of Transportation Engineering, University of Transport Technology, No. 54 Trieu Khuc Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam

²The School of Mechanical Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Dai Co Viet Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam

Received: November 21, 2025
Accepted: February 13, 2026
Publication Date: March 21, 2026

Copyright The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are cited.

Download Citation: ||https://doi.org/10.6180/jase.202608_31.063

Theuseofgasolineblendedwithmethanolisconsideredapracticalapproachtoenhancingcombustionefficiency and reducing pollutant emissions from internal combustion engines. Methanol possesses a high octane number, good volatility, and a high flame propagation speed, thereby improving anti-knock characteristics, enhancing combustion efficiency, and reducing emissions of pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The results show that when the methanol blending ratio is increased from 5% to 25% (M5-M25), engine power decreases by up to 12.7% and brake specific fuel consumption increases by 19.9%, while CO,HC, and NOx emissions are reduced by 76.7%,47.1%, and 54.7%, respectively. To further improve fuel properties and combustion stability of the gasoline-methanol blend, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was introduced in this study. The addition of MTBE promotes more complete combustion, leading to reductions in unburned CO and HC emissions, although NOx emissions may increase slightly due to higher combustion temperatures. When MTBE is blended at ratios ranging from 3% to 10%, engine power and fuel consumption remain nearly unchanged (with a maximum decrease of 0.8% ). Meanwhile, CO and HC emissions decrease by 22.0% and 4.8%, respectively, whereas NOx increases by approximately 10.8%. Therefore, the combined use of methanol and MTBE in gasoline fuel demonstrates significant potential for improving combustion efficiency, reducing emissions, and promoting the development of cleaner and more environmentally friendly fuels.

Keywords: Gasoline engine, Methanol fuel, MTBE fuel, Engine emissions

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