Renewable Energy and Chemicals

In November 2006, UOP announced the formation of a new Renewable Energy and Chemicals business unit focused on developing profitable and efficient ways that refineries can use UOP's petroleum processing technologies to convert bio-feedstocks, such as vegetable oils, greases and certain waste products, into fuel and chemicals.

UOP has already made significant developmental efforts in the renewables area in partnership with US Government laboratories and certain universities to evaluate profitable refining processing options for biologically derived feedstocks. Our efforts have resulted in a number of near- and longer-term opportunities for biorenewables in petroleum refineries.

Green Diesel
The most significant milestone in our efforts to date is the successful conversion of vegetable oils to Green Diesel, a high-cetane diesel fuel, using UOP technology. Green Diesel is superior to that of petrodiesel and biodiesel with cetane values in the 70 to 90 range for significant blending benefits. The technology, developed in partnership between UOP and ENI, integrates seamlessly into existing refinery operations and is currently available for licensing. The first commercial unit is expected to go into operation in a European refinery in early 2009.

Future Applications
UOP has also determined that co-processing vegetable oils with petroleum feedstocks in Fluid Catalytic Crackers (FCC) can produce gasoline and olefins, the building blocks for producing plastics and other materials. UOP will offer refineries this FCC co-processing capability in the near future.

For further information on UOP Green Diesel technology and or on any of UOP's Renewable fuel solutions, please contact your UOP Account Representative or contact us now by e-mail using our information request form.