Light olefins dimerization to high quality gasoline components

New attractive technologies can be designed in the field of light olefins d imerization (C-3-C-5) in order to obtain products useful as gasoline blendi ng components; the technologies are characterized both by low investment co sts and by high product quality. Isobutene dimerization is a powerful alter native to MTBE production whenever the use of the latter will be forbidden in gasoline. Also the dimerization of iso-amylenes and propylene, when prop erly designed, can give products (both the olefins and the corresponding hy drogenated derivatives) characterized by very high octane numbers. More in general all these technologies can help to debottleneck the FCC downstream when enhanced olefins production is achieved by means of new FCC catalysts and processes. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.