Renewable Fuel Solutions for Petroleum Refineries

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), by-products. Syngas technologies through the National Renewable offer refiners economical, flexible Energy Laboratory (NREL), is solutions to the challenges pre- building a bridge between the tech- sented by today’s market forces nologies that produce petroleum and regulatory environment, such products and the technologies that as: produce renewable fuels. In particu- This schematic illustrates how lar, the DOE Biofuels Program is • Increasingly stringent environ- biomass, coke, residuals, coal, investigating processes to condition mental regulations that dictate natural gas, and other materials synthesis gas (syngas) produced the composition of petroleum could be used as valuable refinery from the gasification of biomass, products feedstocks. coke, waste oils, and other inex- pensive feedstocks and low-cost • Increasingly sour crudes

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy • Increased coke production and Help Build the Bridge to hydrogen use resulting from Future Renewable Fuel heavier crude Solutions

• Increased disposal cost for coke The span of DOE’s research goes and residual oils beyond its national laboratories to cooperative ventures between the laboratories and their industrial part- • Decreasing hydrogen supply result- ing from decreased catalytic ners. We invite you to examine the reforming severity—a necessity potential of DOE’s syngas condition- to comply with requirements for ing technologies, which comple- reduced aromatic content. ment the oil industry’s existing expertise and plant infrastructure. Most importantly, refiners can use the DOE syngas processes to To learn more about NREL’s gasifier upgrade refinery residuals and development and other DOE Biofu- coke, which minimizes environ- els Program research, please con- mental problems and maximizes tact us for more information: profitability. These processes provide refiners with an: Dan Tyndall Thermochemical Conversion Project 303/275-4483 • Alternative source for ultra-clean fuels and fuel additives such as Noni Strawn methanol, diesel, and MTBE Biofuels Information Center that meet U.S. Environmental 303/275-4347 Protection Agency requirements National Renewable Energy Laboratory • Economic source of hydrogen 1617 Cole Boulevard Golden, CO 80401-3393 • Efficient means of sulfur capture

Economic source of power and • Produced for the steam.

DOE’s solution also offers refiners the flexibility to economically sup- plement petroleum feedstocks with a wide variety of locally available renewable feedstocks that can be U.S. Department of Energy fed into the gasifier—feedstocks by the such as energy crops, municipal National Renewable Energy Laboratory solid wastes, many industrial wastes, and agricultural by-products. NREL/SP-420-7768 DE-95004030 March 1995 Syngas processes can be adapted to satisfy the individual require- ments of any refinery.

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