Petrobras plans refinery upgrades to lower sulphur levels
Brazilian oil company Petrobras detailed plans to spend $ 1.6 bn to reduce sulphur levels in the gasoline it refines
by 2009, and it tapped France's Axens for desulphurisation technology with a EUR 25 mm contract.
Petrobras plans to reduce to less than 50 ppm the sulphur in its gasoline, from 1,000 ppm now, the company said. The
contract with Axens relies on the French company to develop technologies.
Petrobras plans to install 10 naphtha desulphurisation units at several Brazilian refineries, with processing
capacity of 50 mm litres/d of gasoline.
Petrobras has spent about $ 750 mm reducing sulphur levels in diesel fuel and plans further major investments in the
upcoming years.
The goal of the refinery upgrades is to bring Brazilian fuels up to international environmental standards, while
allowing for more fuel exports.
Petrobras has 11 refineries in Brazil with processing capacity of more than 1.8 mm bpd.
