Production of lower carbon-intensity fuels by co-processing biogenic feedstocks: Potential and challenges for refineries

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) 2022-09, Vol.324, p.124636, Article 124636
• Main Authors: van Dyk, Susan, Su, Jianping, Ebadian, Mahmood, Saddler, Jack
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biocrudes; Co-processing; Fluid catalytic cracker (FCC); Hydrotreater; Lipids; Refineries
• ISSN: 0016-2361
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2022.124636

•Co-processing biogenic feedstocks can effectively reduce the carbon intensity of refinery operation and its products.•In the short term, oleochemical feedstocks will allow refiners to gain experience.•In the longer term biocrudes will be required, influencing aspects such as the choice of insertion points, metallurgy, etc. Co-processing biogenic feedstocks within petroleum refineries has gained increasing attention with many refineries producing lower-carbon-intensive (CI) diesel and aviation fuels. Although co-processing has proven to be commercially viable and an effective way to produce low CI transportation fuels, it can present some operational challenges. However, various strategies have been used to reduce and mitigate impacts and potential risks. These include, pretreating the biogenic feedstock, infrastructure modifications based on specific refinery configurations, modifying the nature of the desired products as well as modifying the characteristics and percentage blend of the biogenic feed. Other options include the use of different feedstocks, such as lipids or biocrudes, or using different refinery insertion points, such as the fluid catalytic cracker or diesel hydrotreater. Although lipid feedstocks have a relatively simple chemistry and are used at a commercial scale, in contrast, biomass-derived-biocrudes constitute very complex mixtures and co-processing of biocrudes is not currently carried out at a commercial scale. As limited information and data on co-processing is available, this review highlights the potential and challenges of using co-processing as one way of reducing the carbon intensities of refineries and the low-CI drop-in transportation fuels they produce.