The analysis of large chemical reaction space sheds light on reaction patterns between molecules and can inform subsequent reaction pathway planning. With the aim to discover more sustainable production systems, it became worthwhile to explicitly model the reaction space reachable from biobased feedstocks. In particular, the space that reactions in integrated biorefineries span for optimised biorefinery planning is of interest. In this work we show a network-theoretical analysis of biorefinery reaction data. We utilise the directed all-to-all mapping between reactants and products to compare the reaction space obtained from biorefineries with the entire network of organic chemistry (NOC). In our results, we find that despite having 1000 times fewer molecules, the constructed network resembles the NOC in terms of its scale-free nature and shares similarities regarding its small-world property. Additionally, we analyse the coverage rate of the biorefinery reaction data and find that many... [more]

By-product fuel gases from refinery operations are a major heat source in fossil refineries and their availability poses a challenge to the deployment of low-carbon heat sources. This study evaluates the valorization of refinery fuel gases (RFG) into low-carbon methanol via co-processing with residual biogenic gas streams from biomass thermochemical conversion. Results from techno-economic analysis indicate that up to 44 wt.% of biogenic blend is possible without the need for external hydrogen supply, while electricity and heat requirements per tonne of methanol change by -4 % and + 80% respectively. Nevertheless, at the 44 wt.% blend, the estimated methanol cost increases only by 2.4 % (0.43 EUR/kg), while the reduction in methanol carbon intensity is approximately 40 %. This highlights promising benefits that can contribute to the integration of bio-oils producing technologies within fossil refineries.

This study evaluates the introduction of Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) process in two Colombian refineries, focusing on their potential to reduce CO2 emissions and their associated impacts under a scenario aligned with the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario defined in the 2023 IEA report. The work uses a MILP programming tool (Linny-R) to model the operational processes of refinery sites, incorporating a net total cost calculation to optimize process performance over five-year intervals. This optimization was constrained by the maximum allowable CO2 emissions. The methodology includes the calculation of surplus refinery off-gas availability, the selection of products and CCU technologies, and the systematic collection of data from refinery operations, as well as scientific and industrial publications. The results indicate that integrating surplus refinery fuel gas (originally used for combustion processes) and HTL bio-crude off-gas (as a source of biogenic CO2) can significantl... [more]

This study evaluates the introduction of Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) process in two Colombian refineries, focusing on their potential to reduce CO2 emissions and their associated impacts under a scenario aligned with the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario defined in the 2023 IEA report. The work uses a MILP programming tool (Linny-R) to model the operational processes of refinery sites, incorporating a net total cost calculation to optimize process performance over five-year intervals. This optimization was constrained by the maximum allowable CO2 emissions. The methodology includes the calculation of surplus refinery off-gas availability, the selection of products and CCU technologies, and the systematic collection of data from refinery operations, as well as scientific and industrial publications. The results indicate that integrating surplus refinery fuel gas (originally used for combustion processes) and HTL bio-crude off-gas (as a source of biogenic CO2) can significantl... [more]

This document contains supplementary material related to the article "Valorization of refinery fuel gas and biogenic gases from thermochemical conversion into low-carbon methanol", submitted to the 35th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering (ESCAPE 35).

This study systematically established the most effective refining process for Moringa oleifera (MO) kernel oil. Acid degumming (20.33 ± 1.37 ppm) removed significantly greater phosphorus than water degumming (31.18 ± 0.90 ppm). Neutralization was more effective than deodorization in decreasing the acid (0.06 mg KOH/g) and p-Anisidine (p-AV, 0.36 ± 0.03) values of the oil. Besides improving its color properties, acid-activated bleaching earth Type B was better than Types A and C in decreasing the oil’s p-AV (0.43 ± 0.02), acid value (3.96 ± 0.02 mg KOH/g), and moisture content (0.01 ± 0.00% w/w). The selected refining stages successfully produced MO kernel oil with acceptable peroxide value (PV, 1.66−3.33 meq/kg), p-AV (1.05−1.49), total oxidation value (TOTOX, 4.38−8.15), acid value (0.03 mg KOH/g), moisture content (0.01% w/w), phosphorus content (1.28−1.94 ppm), iodine value (80.79−81.03), oleic acid (79.52−79.65%), and tocopherol content (65.26−87.00 mg/kg).

We assess the technoeconomic feasibility of onsite electricity and steam generation from recovered low-grade thermal energy in oil refineries using organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engines and mechanical vapour compression (MVC) heat pumps in various countries. The efficiencies of 34 ORC and 20 MVC current commercial systems are regressed against modified theoretical models. The resulting theoretical relations predict the thermal efficiency of commercial ORC engines within 4−5% and the coefficient of performance (COP) of commercial MVC heat pumps within 10−15%, on average. Using these models, the economic viability of ORC engines and MVC heat pumps is then assessed for 19 refinery streams as a function of heat source and sink temperatures, and the available stream thermal energy, for gas and electricity prices in selected countries. Results show that: (i) conversion to electrical power with ORC engines is, in general, economically feasible for heat-source temperatures >70 °C, however with h... [more]

Antimony is classified as a critical/strategic metal. Its primary production is predominated by China via pyrometallurgical routes such as volatilization roasting—reduction smelting or direct reduction smelting. The performance of most of the pyro-processes is very sensitive to concentrate type and grade. Therefore, technology selection for a greenfield plant is a significant and delicate task to maximize the recovery rate of antimony and subsequently precious metals (PMs), mainly gold, from the concentrates. The current paper reviews the conventional pyrometallurgical processes and technologies that have been practiced for the treatment of antimony concentrates. The blast furnace is the most commonly used technology, mainly because of its adaptability to different feeds and grades and a high recovery rate. In addition, several other more environmentally friendly pyrometallurgical routes, that were recently developed, are reviewed but these are still at laboratory- or pilot-scales. For... [more]