Methyl t -Butyl Ether (MTBE) is used as a solvent, however its predominant use is as an additive in gasoline. It functions in fuel as an oxygenate and an octane enhancer. In the US, over 200,000 barrels per day of MTBE were produced in 1999. Production has decreased somewhat due to bans in several states. Industrial production of MTBE relies exclusively on the chemical pathway. The biochemical pathway for generation of isobutene has been shown in Rhodotorula minuta on a laboratory scale.

The following is a MTBE pathway map. For the biological pathway, organisms which carry out the pathway are given above, but other organisms may also carry out this biochemistry. Follow the links for more information on compounds or reactions.