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Anew age of fuel production is here with the introduction of policy changes pushing refineries to reduce emissions and ultimately achieve net zero goals. These policies include compliance and voluntary carbon markets that play an important role in driving refineries to make investments towards a more sustainable future. The carbon markets utilise tax credits that are available to refineries that can produce fuels in a more efficient and sustainable manner. One avenue to receiving
carbon market tax credits is to improve energy efficiency by reducing emissions generated through utilities. This can be done by measuring and optimising utility consumption, such as fuel gas, steam, cooling water and electricity, and then converting to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that were reduced. In addition to this, traditional fossil fuel feedstocks can be replaced by feedstocks made from renewable resources that are harder to process, such as
vegetable oils, bioethanol, and animal fats, but that are also eligible as carbon market tax credits.
The global fuels market will see a dramatic shift over the next 10 years. Despite its steep reduction in demand in 2020 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, global liquid fuel consumption is expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels sometime in 2022. Stricter fuel specifications, a changing vehicle fleet, the growing role of alternative fuels and the potential for a tightening crude market will determine developments of the fuel market through to 2030 and beyond. Europe has been leading the way towards cleaner, lower-emission fuels. The proposed Euro 7 standards are set to feature even stricter rules on emission levels for all gasoline and diesel cars, vans, trucks and buses. Other industrialised regions of the world are likely to follow. The pandemic has also accelerated the trend to decarbonise, reduce emissions and incorporate renewable fuels.
Alkylation is a process used to produce highly branched isoparaffins from the reaction of lighter olefins and isobutane in the presence of sulfuric acid as a catalyst. This highly branched isoparaffins is called alkylate – a blending component that constitutes approximately 10% – 15% of the gasoline pool in the U.S. Besides the ability to increase octane and lower Reid vapor pressure (RVP) in the gasoline pool, alkylate also reduce vehicles exhaust emissions with zero olefins, zero aromatics and low sulfur.
Catalyst is at the heart of all sulphuric acid plants and plays a critical role
in plant performance. This article provides an overview of the specific design
features of two new types of MECS® sulphuric acid catalyst developed by DuPont Clean Technologies (DuPont), XLP-310 and SuperGEAR™, and explains how these more advanced catalyst types can be applied to reduce emissions or increase the capacity of a sulphuric acid plant.
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