Petrobras technology enables Riograndense refinery to process 100% renewable feedstocks

The Riograndense Petroleum Refinery has accomplished a historic achievement by successfully processing 100% soybean oil in a Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit at the Refinery, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This milestone was made possible through innovative technology developed by the Petrobras' Research, Development, and Innovation Center processing 100% renewable feedstocks, adopting process and catalyst innovations, and generating fully renewable petrochemical products. This trial represents a groundbreaking achievement, marking the first of its kind worldwide.

With the successful outcome of the test, RPR, located in Rio Grande (RS), is prepared to initiate the production of petrochemical feedstocks and renewable fuels. These products include bio-LPG, renewable marine fuels, renewable propylene, and bio-aromatic hydrocarbons (BTX – benzene, toluene, and xylene), crucial to produce synthetic rubber, nylon, and PVC. Moreover, it was determined that the BTX concentration levels achieved in the gasoline through a novel catalyst utilization can meet the necessary criteria for formulating high-performance ultra-low sulfur gasoline.

The catalysts used in the test are from the ReNewFCC line and were produced in partnership with Fabrica Carioca de Catalisadores (FCC SA), a joint venture between Petrobras and Ketjen, which produces catalysts and additives for the refining industry.

For Petrobras' President, Jean Paul Prates, the energy transition is an irreversible path for the company: "We are producing typical petroleum products from vegetable oil. It's a combination of innovation and energy transition that benefits Brazil. Petrobras is once again leading significant processes of technical, economic, and social transformation, with global impact."

The test became possible through a cooperation agreement signed in May 2023 among RPR's shareholder companies, Petrobras, Braskem, and Ultra. The agreement allowed for the utilization of the refinery’s facilities to conduct the test with technologies developed by CENPES.

The industrial test commenced in the last week of October, when RPR received a shipment of two thousand tons of soybean oil. A maintenance turnaround was performed to prepare the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit to receive and process this feedstock in accordance with CENPES specifications and instructions. On November 1st, the processing of the 100% renewable load began, confirming the feasibility of the operation.

A second test is already scheduled for June 2024, involving the co-processing of a mineral load with advanced non-food biomass feedstock known as bio-oil, or biomass pyrolysis oil. This process will produce propylene, gasoline, and diesel, all renewable. Petrobras is investing approximately BRL 45 million to finalize the development of these technologies. This investment in these tests complies with the Research, Development, and Innovation (RD&I) clauses of the Brazilian National Petroleum Agency (ANP).

We remind, Petrobras remains eager to repurchase a refinery from Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala despite antitrust barriers, and a new biofuels partnership could open the door to future talks. Petrobras on Monday announced a memorandum of understanding with Mubadala for potential investment in a biofuel refinery under development in Bahia state by Mubadala-owned Acelen.

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A fire at a rural chemical distribution plant northeast of Houston was contained by 1 p.m. CDT, a county emergency services official said on Wednesday, as per Reuters.

County officials told residents within one mile of Sound Resource Solutions located 61 miles (99 km) northeast of Houston to shelter in homes and businesses as crews sprayed foam to extinguish burning chemicals contained in trucks and buildings in a rural area near Shepherd, Texas.

"We think the worst of this is done," said Emmitt Eldridge, emergency management coordinator for San Jacinto County where the plant is located. Schools north of the fire kept students inside during the morning because of the large black column of smoke that rose from the blaze.

The shelter-in-place zone was originally five miles, but was later reduced in size. The fire began following an accident involving a fork lift, said Geoff Harfield, owner of Sound Resource Solutions. The fork lift operator was being treated at Houston hospital for burns, Harfield said.

"He's going to be home with his family this evening," he said. Officials said about 19 people were working at the facility when the fire began shortly after 8 a.m. All had been accounted for. Sound Resource Solutions blends, packages and distributes oilfield and other industrial chemicals including sulfuric acid, acetone and petrochemicals like xylene and toluene, according to the company's website.

U.S. Highway 59 was closed between Shepherd and Livingston, Texas because of the fire, according to media reports. Rural Texas communities have been frequent sites of chemical plant explosions and fires.

We remind, in 2013, 15 people were killed and 160 injured in a fertilizer storage facility explosion in the town of West, Texas. In 2017, industrial peroxide at an Arkema storage site in Crosby, Texas exploded during Hurricane Harvey. Four towns in east Texas were evacuated when a TPC Group butadiene plant exploded in Port Neches, Texas in 2018.

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OMV is actively in negotiations with the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company about a possible merger of their chemicals business, the Austrian firm's chief executive said on Tuesday, after third-quarter results were released.

The company would be listed on the stock exchange, added Chief Executive Alfred Stern.

The deal, if realized, would include a merger of petrochemicals group Borealis - which is owned by OMV and ADNOC in a 75:25 split - and Borouge, which is 54:36 owned by ADNOC and Borealis.

Stern added that he expected a difficult fourth quarter and possibly a difficult first quarter of 2024 for the chemicals business.

We remind, OMV’s polyethylene (PE) indicator margin for Europe stood at €308/tonne in Q3 2023 versus €312/tonne in Q3 2022 and €320/tonne in Q2 2023, said the Austrian oil, gas and petrochemical group. For the polypropylene (PP) indicator margin for Europe, the figures were €330/tonne, €357/tonne and €372/tonne, respectively.
For the propylene indicator margin for Europe, the figures were €330/tonne, €574/tonne and €459/tonne, respectively. For the ethylene indicator margin for Europe, the figures were €455/tonne, €614/tonne and €567/tonne, respectively.

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LyondellBasell, a leader in the chemical industry, today revealed its new brand identity aligned to its purpose, “creating solutions for everyday sustainable living.” The new brand includes a logo, tagline and visual identity and affirms the company’s new strategy announced earlier in 2023, said the company.

“With our new strategy firmly in place, our employees are adopting new ways of working to generate innovative, value-enhancing solutions to support our goals,” said Peter Vanacker, LyondellBasell (LYB) CEO. “I am especially proud of our teams’ recent accomplishments. This includes accelerating our value enhancement program targets and increasing our access to circular and renewable feedstocks through the development of integrated recycling hubs centered in Houston, Texas and Cologne, Germany. I believe our new brand identity will inspire employees by giving them a visual representation of our vision for the future and a sense of unity toward our purpose and values.”

As part of its new brand identity, LYB has also launched a new tagline, “Solutions for a better tomorrow”. This tagline captures the company’s dedication to creating products and solutions for applications in support of modern living, such as food packaging, healthcare, and transportation, and technologies that enable a circular and low carbon economy.

We remind, LyondellBasell, the world’s largest licensor of polyolefin technologies, today announced that Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) has selected LyondellBasell’s Hostalen “Advanced Cascade Process” (Hostalen ACP) technology for a new 200 kiloton per year (KTA) high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant. The new facility will be built in Panipat, India.

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Mitsui Chemical’s fiscal half-year net income fell by 53% year on year as sales volumes dropped due to weak demand, the Japanese producer said.

The company's Basic & Green Materials business swung to an operating loss before special items of Y7.1bn in the H1 period, weighed by lower sales volumes and a decline in inventory valuation gains.
- Sales of polyolefin and phenols decreased compared with the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year due to slowing demand.

Naphtha cracker operating rates remained at a low level due to slowing demand for downstream products.

For the full fiscal year ending 31 March 2024, Mitsui Chemicals lowered its earnings forecasts, with net income expected at Y76bn instead of Y84bn, down from the previous year's Y82.9bn.

Basic & Green Materials sales now expected at Y639bn for the full year, down from the Y726bn in the previous forecast.

We remind, Mitsui Chemicals recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new plant to produce the high-performance elastomer Tafmer at its Singapore-based wholly owned subsidiary Mitsui Elastomers Singapore. The ceremony was held on 28 July, 2023. As part of Mitsui Chemicals’ Vision 2030 Long-Term Business Plan, the Mobility Solutions business aims to help solve social challenges and achieve sustainable business growth by providing unique materials, features and services.

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