Abstract
In this work, the systematic integration of bio-refineries within oil refineries is considered. This is particularly relevant due to the lack of adaptation of existing refineries to diminishing oil supply. Moreover, the integration of oil and bio-refineries has a massively positive effect on the reduction of CO2 emissions. For instance, the biodiesel produced in bio-refineries could be integrated with conventional oil refinery processes to produce fuel, thusly reducing the dependence on crude oil. This represents a suitable alternative for increasing profit margins while being increasingly environmentally friendly. The identified possible routes of integration will be discussed in this contribution. For this purpose, the different proposed alternatives and their configurations were simulated and analysed. The developed models simulated key integrations e.g. a gasification unit that is fed from pyrolysis oil, biodiesel, and refinery residue, before being combined into one system involving all three. Varying forms of synthesis for these three feeds were also considered, focusing on novel techniques as well as environmentally friendly options that made use of waste products from other processes. The simulations revealed valuable gas stream rich in H2, with some CO2 and with a slight excess of CO resulting from the gasification unit. Further upgrading of these products was achieved by coupling the gasifier with a water gas shift (WGS) unit. This allowed a fine tune of the H2:CO ratio in the gas stream which can be further processed to obtain liquid hydrocarbons via Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis or alternatively, clean hydrogen for fuel cells applications.