MOSCOW (MRC) -- Axens has signed an agreement with PKN Orlen for Vegan Technology License and Process Book Supply for the production of renewable diesel and jet fuel, through hydrotreating of vegetable oils in its Plock Refinery in Poland, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
Based on a flexibility to operate either on diesel mode or kerosene mode, the new unit would be capable of producing Hydro-treated Vegetable Oils (HVO) for true drop-in high quality biofuels for diesel or jet fuel. This project falls into a commitment to address today’s environmental regulations entering the low-carbon energy sector in Downstream while ensuring diversification of feedstock.
“Investing in new technologies is among PKN ORLEN’s strategic objectives. Renewable energy sources are gaining prominence in transport. The RED II Directive, which raises targets for the use of next-generation biofuels, will have a major impact on the fuel market in the future. By investing in environmentally-friendly solutions in advance, we will be well-positioned to meet the ambitious EU targets”, states Daniel Obajtek, President of the PKN ORLEN Management Board.
Vegan technology is able to hydro-treat a wide range of lipids and to produce low-density and high cetane renewable diesel as well as renewable sulfur-free jet fuel. Backed by fifty years of experience in middle distillates hydro-treatment and hydrocracking/hydro-isomerization, Vegan® technology is using catalysts manufactured and provided by Axens.
As MRC reported earlier, in H1 September 2019, Honeywell announced that PKN Orlen had licensed the UOP MaxEne process, which can increase production of ethylene and aromatics and improve the flexibility of gasoline production. The project, for the PKN ORLEN facility in Plock, Poland, currently is in the basic engineering stage. Honeywell UOP, a leading provider of technologies for the oil and gas industry, first commercialized the UOP MaxEne process in 2013. The process enables refiners and petrochemical producers to direct molecules within the naphtha feed to the processes that deliver the greatest value and improve yields of fuels and petrochemicals.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,724,670 tonnes in the first ten months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market in January-October 2019 totalled 1,066,520 tonnes, up by 7% year on year. Supply of block copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymer) and homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) increased, demand for statistical copolymers (PP random copolymer) decreased.
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