In a recent announcement made by Chevron Lummus Global which is a joint venture between Chevron USA Inc. and Lummus Technology, it was revealed that the company has expanded its technology portfolio with the addition of the new ISOTERRA process for the production of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass source. The process involves two steps which include hydrodeoxygenation of alternative feeds such as vegetable, algae, palm, and used cooking oil, and dewaxing to meet the final cold flow property specifications. 

ISOTERRA helps in repurposing the existing assets which makes it ideal in the revamping of the existing hydrotreaters to renewable services because the process can be implemented in either one or two reactor stages. The benefit of the two stage configuration is that it allows feed product flexibility and robustness, and the single stage configuration provides for a low capex option for the existing hydrotreating facilities. 

Renewable diesel is the diesel produced from renewable sources such as vegetable oil etc. it can be added to diesel in various proportions in order to reduce emissions related to fuel generation. The global demand for renewable diesel stood at around 43 billion litres in 2020 and is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR of around 8% during the upcoming years. 

As per ChemAnalyst, “the development of a new technology for the production of renewable diesel and SAF by Chevron Lummus Global is aimed at capturing the growing demand for sustainable fuels. The demand for sustainable fuels is increasing because the countries are looking forwards towards a more sustainable future hence have set different blending targets for biodiesel. As the automotive manufacturers start developing vehicles which are more and more compatible with the renewable fuels, the demand for sustainable fuels is set to grow at more faster pace in the upcoming scenario.