“After more than five years of research, we are now investing in a ‘Glycerin2Propanol’ pilot plant and thereby contribute to the further development of advanced biofuels. The new plant will be part of the existing value chain in the Schwechat Refinery and is an additional building block in OMV’s sustainable business model,” said OMV chief downstream operations officer Thomas Gangl.

Glycerin is a byproduct or waste product from producing biodiesel, as well as making detergents and soaps, but it is also considered an advanced feedstock under the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED) II. The propanol produced in this way will be used as a bio-additive for gasoline. It can also be used as a sustainable feedstock for chemicals, replacing fossil-based propanol.

The facility will be built next to the ReOil plant at Schwechat so that both can use a single measuring station and exploit synergistic effects. It will use a catalyst developed inhouse by OMV and have an annual capacity of 1.25 million liters, leading to a CO₂ reduction of about 1,800 t.

The long-term plan is to commercialize the technology and produce around 125 million liters of propanol per year and reduce CO₂ emissions by about 180,000 t. The Austrian Research Promotion Agency is providing funds of about €6.9 million in the project.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist