Due to the persistence of air pollution, the government had to triple standardized gasoline imports and stop gasoline production at petrochemical plants.
The quality of gasoline consumed by cars and motorcycles and its role in the air pollution has always been among important environmental issues. In the past, authorities had to declare some days off due to choking air pollution.
Over the past two years, certain measures have been undertaken to improve the quality of distributed fuel, particularly gasoline, at gas stations. This problem has partly been resolved and one reason behind the higher number of clean days in the country is the focus on gasoline consumption by vehicles.
Recently, with the startup of gasoline production project at Isfahan Refinery in central Iran, euro-4 gasoline production has soared from 19 ml/d to 24 ml/d. Other achievements of gasoline production project at this refinery have been the increase in gasoline production capacity from 10 ml/d to 12 ml/d, improvement in the quality of 8.5 ml/d of ordinary gasoline in conformity with euro-4 standards and the indigenization of catalyst used in the isomerization unit.
Naphtha hydrotreating (NHT) unit has been designed for the processing of 10 ml/d of low-density and high-density naphtha (the feedstock for isomerization and octanizer units). This unit came on-stream in May 2013.
Since then, in collaboration with Isfahan Oil Refining Company and the private sector, the catalyst needed for this unit has been designed and built in the country. It is among the most advanced catalysts used in the refining industry.
After the catalyst for one of two reactors in this unit was installed, the refinery managed to launch the isomerization unit without any help from foreign countries in October 2015. In light of the acceptable performance of the catalyst used in this facility, this unit is currently producing 4,290 ml/d of low-density naphtha with octane 82. Once the second reactor is launched, the octane figure will be improved and most gasoline produced from this refinery will be up to euro-4 standards.
Fuel Oil Cut
Abbas Kazemi, deputy minister of petroleum, said on the sidelines of the inauguration of Isfahan refinery’s gasoline production project that Japanese and South Korean companies have expressed readiness to contribute to projects to reduce fuel oil production at Iranian refineries.
Kazemi, who is head of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), said the Japanese and South Korean companies are ready to operate fuel oil production for Isfahan and Bandar Abbas refineries.
He said that potential foreign investors will be remunerated from production.
Noting that fuel oil production will reach zero by the end of the 6th Five-Year Economic Development Plan, Kazemi said: “Given the entry of new energies in the future, there would be no market for this petroleum product.”
He said that the government has obligated oil refineries in the country to reduce their fuel oil production by 2% every year. Of a total 70 million liters of fuel oil produced in the country, only 10 million liters is consumed in the country.
Kazemi went on to announce plans for enhancing the production capacity of Isfahan refinery in the coming months, saying: “The production capacity of Isfahan refinery will reach from the current 7 million liters to 11 million liters next spring.”
At present, euro-4 gasoline is being distributed in eight megacities and it has just started in the city of Mashhad.
Euro-4 gasoil and gasoline production currently stands at 30 million liters and 24 million liters. Iran will stop importing gasoline after the first phase of Persian Gulf Star Refinery becomes operational next year.
Kazemi touched on the decline in air pollution due to the distribution of euro-4 gasoline, saying: “Based on samples taken from air in megacities in the country, the share of pollutants has reached from 10 ppm to 2.8 ppm.”
Due to the production of pollution and its need to use water, petroleum industry naturally needs to apply cutting edge technologies. This industry has in recent years implemented a large number of projects aimed at safeguarding the environment.
Environment Technologies Upgrade
Masoumeh Ebtekar, the head of the Department of the Environment, stressed the necessity of upgrading environmental technologies in the petroleum industry.
“With the lifting of sanctions and the entry of new technologies, Iran has to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 12%,” she said at the inauguration ceremony.
Ebtekar said advanced countries are moving towards green economy, adding: “Since Iran’s economy largely depends on oil we have to make efforts to upgrading environmental technologies in this industry.”
She also referred to the COP21 conference in Paris in late 2015, saying 195 countries finally agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the Earth is being threatened.
She said Iran has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 4% for now. She added that once all international sanctions are lifted and technologies could be brought into the country, Iran will have to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 12%.
“This issue is of high value both politically and economically,” said Ebtekar.
She laid emphasis on the potential of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in gas flares, and energy efficiency in major industries in the country. She noted that the promulgation of general policies on the environment by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has shed light on the country’s environment policy.
Ebtekar said these general policies have been put on the agenda by all state organs.
11ml/d of Euro-4 Gasoline
Lotfali Chavoshi, managing director of Isfahan Oil Refining Company, said in the ceremony that the treatment facility is able to produce more than 11 ml/d of euro-4 gasoline provided that it receives feedstock.
He said that the refinery started producing 2.5 ml/d of euro-4 gasoline in 2013 after two units of the gasoline production facility of the refiner became operational.
“The third unit was launched tentatively in October due to lack of necessary catalyst. With the inauguration of Isfahan refinery’s gasoline production plant, this refinery no longer needs octane enhancing substances,” he said.
Chavoshi said that production at this refinery has reached 15 ml/d by using surplus naphtha from Bandar Abbas refinery and gas condensate supplied by South Pars gas field.
“In the third unit of Isfahan refinery’s gasoline production plant, the amount of aromatics, benzene and sulfur in the gasoline produced by this refinery has reached euro-4 standards,” he said.
Chavoshi said four Iranian contractors have been involved in the project, adding that more than IRR 5,000 billion has been spent for this project.
Referring to the indigenization of catalysts in the third unit of Isfahan refinery’s gasoline production complex, he said: “At present, only two French and American companies have the technical know-how for producing this catalyst and Iran is the third country owning the technical know-how to produce this catalyst.”
Chavoshi said Isfahan refinery is currently producing 1.8 ml/d of euro-4 gasoline. He added that the refinery has been producing 5.5 ml/d of gasoline on average since October.
Source: Iran Petroleum Monthly
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