The UOP/Eni Ecofining process for the production of green diesel fuel is UOP’s solution to meeting the increasing demand for a sustainable high-quality renewable diesel using conventional hydroprocessing technology already widely used in refineries.
The Ecofining process deoxygenates and then hydrogenates triglycerides and/or free fatty-acid feedstocks such as vegetable oils and animal fats. The resulting paraffins are then isomerized to create a high-quality hydrocarbon known as green diesel. If desired, the Ecofining process can also be designed to produce a slipstream of a paraffinic green jet fuel stream in addition to the green diesel product.
A thermochemical process, the Ecofining process produces green diesel fuel that is indistinguishable from traditional diesel fuel. It can be used as a direct replacement fuel or as a valuable blendstock to enhance the quality of the existing diesel pool. Blending of high-quality green diesel will allow the use of lower quality diesel range refinery product streams, ultimately reducing the cost of biofuel compliance and increasing the overall diesel pool.
Designed for feedstock flexibility, the Ecofining process works with a wide range of pretreated biofeedstocks—from vegetable oils and animal fats to second generation, non-food-based options such as jatropha and algal oils.
The diesel yield and hydrogen consumption vary slightly according to the feed-stock source and the required product cloud point. The hydrogen consumption may also vary between different feeds.
Licensor: UOP.
