Bratislava refinery tests renewable diesel, SAF coprocessing capabilities

Slovnaft's refinery in Bratislava, Slovakia, recently completed test runs of coprocessing renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. (Photo: Slovnaft)

Slovnaft, a member of MOL Group, announced Feb. 12 that it has produced hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its refinery in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The quality of the products has been verified by radioisotope analysis by the independent institute Isotoptech Zrt.

Slovnaft said it has thus confirmed its technological readiness for the production of alternative synthetic fuels, which is part of MOL Group’s long-term “shape tomorrow” strategy.

HVO of vegetable origin was produced by Slovnaft at the end of last year, according to the company.

“The production test was carried out on a production unit that is also used for the production of conventional diesel fuel,” said Róbert Hurný, Slovnaft’s director of downstream development. “We produced the product using the coprocessing method, when we processed both fossil and biological raw material at the same time. We used oil from cashew-nut shells as the feedstock.”

The presence of HVO in the diesel fuel was confirmed by radioisotope analysis by the Hungarian Isotoptech laboratory.

In a production test, the company said it was able to produce HVO by combining the feedstock biosolids with the fossil component directly during production.

Both components were processed simultaneously in the production facility.

The result is a fuel that contains two components in the required ratio, namely renewable diesel and conventional fossil diesel.

At the same time, Slovnaft said the same refinery conducted another production test, which produced SAF.

In this case, the feedstock used was partially refined cooking oil.

Like the HVO, the SAF was also produced by coprocessing in a production unit used for the manufacturing of standard aviation kerosene.

“Also in the case of SAF production, the test can be considered a success,” Hurný said. “The good news is that we can produce it on our existing production unit.”

The refinery has been preparing for production tests for about a year.

“During the tests, we needed to monitor the response of our production facilities to the process,” Hurný said. “The second part was to analyze the quality of the output product.”

By successfully completing the production tests, Slovnaft said it has shown that it is technologically ready to produce renewable diesel of vegetable origin as well as SAF.

“The fact that Slovnaft has passed this test is a confirmation of our position as an important player in the Central and Eastern Europe region,” said Gabriel Szabó, the vice chairman of the Slovnaft management board and vice president of downstream with the MOL Group. “The competence in chemical production that we have acquired over the long history of the company must be preserved and developed in line with where the company is moving and what kind of future we want to create.”

The production of these types of fuels reflects legislative trends and future developments.

Currently, very few refineries in the world produce SAF.

Slovnaft said it has thus become one of the few refineries capable of producing aviation fuel meeting the quality requirements set for SAF.

In the context of EU environmental targets, SAF is to account for 2 percent of total aviation fuel consumption starting this year, with this percentage gradually increasing over time.

The share of SAF is to increase to 6 percent by 2030, 20 percent by 2035 and 70 percent by 2050.

These requirements will apply to all flights originating in the EU, regardless of destination.

Slovnaft, as well as the MOL Group, also cooperate with the aeronautics faculty of the Technical University of Košice in the testing of SAF.