Publication: Hydrocracking and hydrotreating

Authors: Jochen Berg, Tilman Sauer, Christopher Federsel, Sascha Vukojevic, Philipp Hauck, Florian Huber and Alfred Haas 

ptq, Vol. 20, Q1 (Jan, Feb, Mar) 2015, 121-127

Increasing global demand for fuels and heavier feedstocks as well as tightening environmental regulations create a pressing need for the refining and petrochemical industry to optimise or develop new processes to generate and secure today’s fuels for mobile transportation (CNG, LNG and LPG, gasoline and diesel) as well as platform chemicals for the petrochemical industry (C₂ -C₈ olefins, alcohols, aromatics). However, while demand for fuels and especially diesel is increasing, crude oils are becoming ever heavier. Furthermore, environmental regulations stipulate lower sulphur and nitrogen content. There is a need for refineries to optimise or develop new processes for the conversion of products derived from the bottom of the atmospheric distillation column such as atmospheric residue or atmospheric/ vacuum gas oils. In this context, it is necessary to develop new catalysts or evaluate several commercial catalysts.