A pathway towards net-zero emissions in oil refineries
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Supporting information
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Rapid industrialization and urbanization have increased the demand for both energy and mobility services across the globe, with accompanying increases in greenhouse gas emissions. This short paper analyzes strategic measures for the abatement of CO2 emissions from oil refinery operations. A case study involving a large conversion refinery shows that the use of post-combustion carbon capture and storage (CCS) may only be practical for large combined emission point sources, leaving about 30% of site-wide emissions unaddressed. A combination of post-combustion CCS with a CO2 capture rate well above 90% and other mitigation measures such as fuel substitution and emission offsets is needed to transition towards carbon-neutral refinery operations. All of these technologies must be configured to minimize environmental burden shifting and scope 2 emissions, whilst doing so cost-effectively to improve energy access and affordability. In the long run, scope 3 emissions from the combustion of refinery products and flaring must also be addressed. The use of synthetic fuels and alternative feedstocks such as liquefied plastic waste, instead of crude oil, could present a growth opportunity in a circular carbon economy.
Date Acceptance
2022-01-13
Citation
Frontiers in Chemical Engineering, 4
ISSN
2673-2718
Publisher
Frontiers Media
Journal / Book Title
Frontiers in Chemical Engineering
Volume
4
Copyright Statement
© 2022 Sunny, Bernardi, Danaci, Bui, Gonzalez-Garay and Chachuat. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Copyright URL
Sponsor
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (E
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (E
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (E
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (E
Identifier
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.804163/full
Grant Number
UKCCSRC 2017 Partner
609630
NE/P019900/1
EP/M001369/1
EP/N024567/1
EP/M015351/1
500250529
Publication Status
Published online
Date Publish Online
2022-02-11