Northwestern University scientists are experimenting with ways to eliminate a
cancer-causing agent from gasoline by neutralizing the benzene compound
found in gasoline. They developed a catalyst that effectively removed
benzene from the other aromatic compounds in gasoline, making it cleaner
and more efficient. An estimated 137 billion gallons of gasoline were consumed in the
United States last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information
Administration, a daily average of about 375 million gallons. Within
each gallon of gas is a chemical compound known as benzene, which has
been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as a known
contributor to cancer. A research team led by Northwestern’s Tobin J.
Marks has found a way to remove it.
