South Korean S-Oil starts SAF and bio-naphtha production

South Korean oil refining company S-Oil announced that it has started to process bio-based feedstocks, including used cooking oil and the byproducts of the palm oil, to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and naphtha.

The company further added that it will also produce eco-friendly chemicals such as polypropylene using waste plastic-based pyrolysis oil.

“The incorporation of bio-based feedstocks into the refining process is a first for a refiner in Korea,” the company said in a statement.

The announcement comes after S-Oil received approval for the demonstration of the co-processing of waste plastic-based pyrolysis oil in July and bio-based feedstocks in December last year under the government’s regulatory sandbox program.

Subsequently, the company has now started to use feedstocks after promptly completing preparatory work such as the installation of feedstock injection facilities and plans to expand the volume for eco-friendly products as it learns from initial production. 

S-OIL also signed a partnership with Samsung C&T to develop new businesses on hydrogen and biofuels in 2021 and sealed a partnership with Dansuk to build supply chains of eco-friendly, low-carbon fuels and chemical feedstocks last December.

S-Oil is owned by the Saudi Aramco which invested around $10bn in the company over the course of last five years. S-OIL is one of the largest refiners in South Korea with a refining capacity of 669,000 barrels per day.