Production of high-value fuel mixtures from synthetic and biologically derived hydrocarbon molecules

A process for the production of a high octane gasoline composition comprising gasoline-range molecules, wherein the high octane gasoline composition is a C7 enriched gasoline composition, the process comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a first feed stream comprising isobutane and oxidizing the isobutane to form a t-butyl hydroperoxide and t-butyl alcohol;
• (b) converting the t-butyl hydroperoxide and t-butyl alcohol to t-butyl alcohol to di-t-butyl peroxide;
• and
• (c) providing a second feed stream comprising two or more light paraffins or light hydrocarbons and coupling the light paraffins and/or light hydrocarbons using the di-t-butyl peroxide as a radical initiator to form a gasoline composition comprising gasoline-range molecules;
• (d) optionally fractionating the gasoline-range molecules to isolate a gasoline fraction having a road octane number (RON) greater than about 100.