5 INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
KAUST AND ARAMCO DEVELOP A FASTER, GREENER REFINING PROCESS FOR PETROCHEMICALS New single-step method supports the global energy transition and meets a Vision 2030 goal
JORGE GASCON Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the KAUST Catalysis Center
TAKEN TOGETHER, OUR RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT THE SEARCH FOR
In March 2021, KAUST scientists announced a breakthrough in oil-refining technology – developed in partnership with national energy major Aramco – that could help secure the Kingdom’s leading role in the international energy sector over the long term. The new one-step method for turning crude oil into chemical feedstock promises to simplify what is currently a multi-step process. Vision 2030 considers advanced crude-to-chemicals technology to be a strategic industrial goal and a core element of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program. This latest development places the Kingdom at the forefront of global technological innovation in energy, in addition to supporting other Vision 2030 goals.
ALTERNATIVE REACTOR-ENGINEERING CONCEPTS, WHEN ACCOMPANIED BY COMPLEMENTARY MULTIFUNCTIONAL CATALYST DEVELOPMENT, ARE WORTH EXPLORING FOR PROCESS INTENSIFICATION. THIS NEW PROCESS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO
It also has important and wide-reaching implications for the worldwide economy in the context of the changing future of oil. With the rise of electric vehicles and alternative energy sources, demand for gasoline, diesel and other liquid petroleum products is likely to decline in the coming years. However, some of that lost demand will be compensated for by other sources, such as chemicals. As of 2020, 16% of crude production was refined into feedstock destined for petrochemicals producers, and that share is likely to increase to 34% by 2040.
REDUCE THE NEED FOR DISTILLATION AND STEAM-CRACKING UNITS.
For some oil refineries, the shift will be even more pronounced. In the Red Sea coastal town of Yanbu, for example, Aramco and SABIC are collaborating on a large-scale,
