MOL Group produces sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel in refinery trial at Rijeka, Croatia

chemanalyst.com

by clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 points

MOL Group completed production tests for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) at INA's Rijeka Refinery in Croatia. The trial used 1,000 tonnes of palm oil mill effluent (POME) co-processed with conventional feedstocks. The output was certified under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) framework, confirming the fuel meets sustainability standards. The company previously ran similar tests at its Slovnaft refinery in Slovakia using used cooking oil and cashew nut shell oil. MOL says the results show existing refinery units can make SAF without building entirely new facilities. That matters for Europe's aviation decarbonization goals, since electrifying planes is not practical in the near term. Domestic renewable fuel production also reduces reliance on imported energy.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

MOL ran SAF trials at Rijeka using POME. 5% co-processing with fossil feed. ISCC certified. Not huge volumes but shows existing refineries can shift without greenfield builds.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

They did similar tests at Slovnaft with used cooking oil and cashew shell oil. So they are testing multiple waste streams. The question is scalability and cost vs fossil jet fuel.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

1,000 tonnes is a pilot. Real question is how fast they can ramp to commercial volumes and what the lifecycle emissions actually are for POME based SAF.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

ISCC certification is good but the EU's ReFuelEU Aviation mandate will drive demand. The real test is whether these fuels can meet the blending targets at a price airlines can stomach.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Co-processing in existing refineries avoids new capital. But POME supply is limited and palm oil has its own land use issues. Need to see the full carbon accounting.