Hydrocarbon Processing - May 2022 - 7

Editorial
Comment
LEE NICHOLS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Lee.Nichols@HydrocarbonProcessing.com
Pathways towards a more sustainable HPI
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Among the dominant, far-reaching
themes within the global refining and petrochemicals
industries are the increase in
biofeedstocks processing to produce biofuels
and greener petrochemicals, the continued
push towards clean fuels production,
regulations and initiatives to adhere
to net-zero emissions targets, and a surge
in capital investments to build renewables
and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) plants.
These sustainability issues are collectively
steering the global hydrocarbon
processing industry (HPI) further along
in its energy transition. New processes,
technologies and digital tools adoption
are enabling producers to mitigate carbon
emissions during processing, optimize
production, increase energy efficiency
and produce sustainable products that the
world demands.
To accomplish these goals, technology
licensors around the world are investing
in new research and development initiatives
to find pathways for greener and
cleaner production processes. These actions
are enabling the HPI to advance
steadily through the energy transition and
provide solutions to enhancing production
in a more sustainable way.
In turn, refining and petrochemical
producers are investing heavily in new
biofuels capacity, SAF production plants,
carbon capture and storage initiatives,
and circular economy technologies. Many
countries around the world are witnessing
the establishment of new " green " capacity,
whereby plants are utilizing hydrogen to
produce green ammonia and methanol
or re-routing unused gas back into the
production process. Advanced biofuels
are being produced through multiple processing
techniques and new processes are
being adopted to decarbonize the skies.
Special focus. Because new processing
technologies are vital to the HPI, especially
in clean fuels, biofuels and green petrochemicals
production, Hydrocarbon Processing
has increased its coverage of these
topics for several years. This year, these
types of sustainable topics have been included
within every issue of the technical
publication. These range from new refining
and petrochemical processes, CO2
mitigation and carbon capture technologies
to plastics recycling, effective circular
economy initiatives, bio-based petrochemicals
production and new ways to
increase environmental prowess in plant
operations.
This focus has led to this month's special
focus on biofuels, alternative fuels
and green petrochemicals. These technical
articles, columns and viewpoints
showcase the operational and technical
know-how to optimize HPI production
towards a cleaner and sustainable industry.
They will help plant personnel better
understand the many pathways available
to enhance operations, increase energy efficiency
and mitigate emissions.
Several of these topics/themes center
on the following aspects of sustainable
operations:
* How Dow Chemical's Terneuzen
(Netherlands) plant utilized
mechanical vapor recompression
as a more energy-efficient and
sustainable energy supply
* The use of recycled CO2
as
a feedstock for additional
petrochemicals production
* A detailed analysis on the results
of processing blends of soybean
oil and straight-run gasoil and
100% vegetable oil for renewable
diesel production
* The beginning of a two-part series
covering seven pathways to
decarbonizing the oil and gas
and petrochemical industries
* A study on increasing blending of
bio-oxygenates in gasoline
to increase profits.
These technical articles are just a few of
the many ways the HPI is evolving towards
more sustainable operations and production
of the products demanded globally.
19 Executive Viewpoint.
Pierroberto Folgiero,
Chief Executive Officer, Maire Tecnimont,
provides his insights and views on how
technology will be the key asset in the
second wave of the circular economy.
20 Special Focus.
This month's Special Focus
details the latest technologies, processes
and know-how to better produce biofuels,
increase renewable fuels production and
provide a more sustainable energy source
to produce petrochemicals.
63 Catalysts.
Hydroprocessing catalysts
are an essential part of any refinery
involved in the treatment/conversion of
most petroleum fractions ranging from
naphtha to reside. Thailand's PTT Global
Chemical discusses pitfalls in planning
and selecting the catalyst evaluation
method and provides best practices
to guide refiners towards optimal
hydroprocessing catalyst selection.
66 History of the HPI.
This month's history section
provides notable technological
discoveries of the 1960s, and the
people that were instrumental in
advancing the global refining and
petrochemicals industries.
79 Engineering and
Construction.
New management methods are needed
to curb the frequent delays and cost
overruns in capital projects. The root
cause of these problems is the difficulty
in managing the inherent complexities
of large engineering and construction
projects. This article highlights the
deficiencies of today's working
practices and proposes a practical
method to manage complexity.
Hydrocarbon Processing | MAY 2022 7
Hydrocarbon Processing - May 2022

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