Economic and environmental analysis to evaluate the potential value of co-optima diesel bioblendstocks to petroleum refiners. (1st February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jiang, Yuan; Zaimes, George G.; Li, Shuyun; Hawkins, Troy R.; Singh, Avantika; Carlson, Nicholas; Talmadge, Michael; Gaspar, Daniel J.; Ramirez-Corredores, M.M.; Beck, Andrew W.; Young, Ben; Sittler, Lauren; Brooker, Aaron
• Is Part Of: Fuel. Volume 333(2023)Part 1
• Publication Date: 2023-02-01
• Subjects: ADOPT Automotive Deployment Options Projection Tool -- AEO annual energy outlook -- AO advanced optimization -- API American Petroleum Institute -- BAU business as usual -- BB bio-blendstock -- BEV break-even value -- BOX 4-butoxy heptane -- BPCD barrel per calendar day -- Btu British thermal units -- CADF California diesel fuel -- CARB California Air Resources Board -- CN cetane number -- DOE Department of Energy -- EF emissions factors -- EPN 5-ethyl-4-propyl-nanane -- FAME fatty acid methyl esters -- FCC fluid catalytic cracking -- GHG greenhouse gas -- GM Gross Margin -- GREET Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies -- HD heavy duty -- HEFA hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids -- HHE hexyl hexanoate -- HRD Renewable diesel (HEFA) -- HSD high-sulfur diesel -- HTL hydrothermal liquefaction -- IO input-output -- LCA life-cycle analysis -- LHV lower heating value -- LP linear programming -- LSD low-sulfur diesel -- NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory -- MAC marginal GHG abatement cost -- MCCI mixing controlled compression ignition -- MD medium duty -- t-CO2e metric tonnes CO2-equivalents -- OPIS Oil Price Information Service -- PADD Petroleum Administration for Defense District -- PIMS Process Industry Modeling Systems -- PNNL Pacific Northwest National Laboratory -- POME polyoxymethylene ethers -- PRELIM Petroleum Refinery Life Cycle Inventory Model -- RD renewable diesel -- RFG reformulated gasoline -- RP-LCA Refinery Products Life Cycle Assessment -- SBD biodiesel from soybean oil -- TEA techno-economic analysis -- TRL technology readiness level -- ULSD ultra-low sulfur diesel -- VOC volatile organic compounds -- WRD diesel from wet waste HTL -- WTI West-Texas Intermediate -- WW wet waste; Refinery impact analysis -- Diesel-range bio-blendstocks -- Life-cycle analysis -- Economic value; Fuel -- Periodicals; Coal -- Periodicals; Coal; Fuel; Periodicals; 662.6
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2022.126233
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0016-2361

Abstract

Highlights: Developed new refinery analysis approach to simultaneously track economic and environmental benefits. Evaluated 7 diesel-range bio-blendstocks at 3 blending levels, 3 refinery configurations and fuel demand projections over period 2040 to 2050. Sulfur content and cetane number are the primary properties of bio-blendstocks bring value to petroleum refinery. Up to 40% reduction in cradle-to-gate refinery GHG emission is possible when using bio-blendstocks. Abstract: The U.S. petroleum refining sector is undergoing a period of historic transformation, catalyzed by the decarbonization of the U.S. economy. Diesel-boiling-range bioblendstocks have gained traction, owing to their superior fuel properties and environmental performance as compared to traditional petroleum fuels. This work couples refinery linear programming models with life cycle assessment to quantify the potential economic and environmental benefits, and trade-offs, of blending diesel-boiling-range bioblendstocks at petroleum refineries. Linear programming models were developed in Aspen Process Industry Modeling Systems (PIMS) for three representative petroleum refinery configurations of differing complexity. Seven diesel-boiling-range bioblendstocks: 4-butoxyheptane, 5-ethyl-4-propylnonane, soy biodiesel, sludge hydrothermal liquefaction diesel, polyoxymethylene ethers, renewable diesel, and hexyl hexanoate, were investigated to identify key fuel properties that influence refineries' economics and to track the effect of adding bioblendstocks on refinery-wide cradle-to-gate greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. These analyses considered blending levels from 10 to 30 vol% and fuel demand projections over the period 2040 to 2050. This analysis determines that bioblendstock sulfur content and cetane number are the primary fuel attributes with the potential to provide value to refiners. Life cycle assessment results indicate that the use of diesel-boiling-range bioblendstocks can reduce cradle-to-gate refinery GHG emissions by up to ∼ 40 % relative to conventional refinery operations when considering carbon uptake in the supply chain of the bioblendstock. Refinery-wide marginal GHG abatement costs range from 120 to 3, 600 USD2016/metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent avoided across the scenarios evaluated. Reducing the price of bioblendstocks is identified as a key to their adoption.