[Graeme]

Combination Of Processes Results In Cleaner Petrol

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')ne problem confronting the oil industry is that extracted mineral oil (due to increasing scarcity) is becoming heavier and 'dirtier'. This is reflected, for instance, in a higher content of aromatics (which among other things lead to soot emissions during combustion in diesel engines) and of sulphur (which among things causes acid rain). At the same time, the global ceilings for aromatics and sulphur content in fuels are becoming increasingly strict.

The Delft-based PhD student Xander Dupain has investigated a method which produces cleaner petrol using the method of 'catalytic cracking'.

The core of Dupain's method is a combination of catalytic cracking with the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis process.