A hydrogen unit for refining kerosene and gasoil (diesel) is being built at the Tehran refinery, which has been taking measures recently to uphold environmental standards, director of operations unit at the Tehran Oil Refining Company said, Shana news agency reported Friday.
Previously, diesel produced at Tehran refinery contained 13,000-16,000 parts-per-million of sulfur, but the sulfur content would be reduced to only 50 ppm when the new hydrogen unit comes into operation, Ahmad Kheiri added, noting that TORC has also conducted a scheme of tree plantation on 300 hectares in an area near the refinery "to show its commitment to environmental protection."
Hydrogen is used to process crude oil into refined fuels, such as gasoline and diesel, and for removing contaminants, such as sulfur, from these fuels. Total hydrogen consumption in oil refineries is estimated at 12.4 billion standard cubic feet per day, which equates to an average hydrogen consumption of 100-200 standard cubic feet per barrel of oil processed.
Approximately 75% of hydrogen currently consumed worldwide by oil refineries is supplied by large hydrogen plants that generate hydrogen from natural gas or other hydrocarbon fuels, with the balance recovered from hydrogen-containing streams generated in the refinery process.
