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Italy boasts Europe's 'cleanest' gasoline following huge outlays

Feb. 1, 1999

Italy boasts the "cleanest" gasoline in Europe, following a 13.3 trillion lira ($8 billion) investment program by refiners in 1990-97. And refiners will have to spend another 9.4 trillion lira in 1998-2005 to comply with tightening domestic regulations, the Kyoto climate change treaty, and the European Auto-Oil program. In 2005, Italy, along with the rest of the European Union, will have to reduce sulfur in gasoline to 30 ppm and benzene levels in gasoline to 1 vol %. Carbon dioxide emissions

Italy boasts the "cleanest" gasoline in Europe, following a 13.3 trillion lira ($8 billion) investment program by refiners in 1990-97.

And refiners will have to spend another 9.4 trillion lira in 1998-2005 to comply with tightening domestic regulations, the Kyoto climate change treaty, and the European Auto-Oil program.

In 2005, Italy, along with the rest of the European Union, will have to reduce sulfur in gasoline to 30 ppm and benzene levels in gasoline to 1 vol %. Carbon dioxide emissions are to be reduced by 6.5-7% in the same period.

Emissions decline

In 1997, refiners' emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic hydrocarbons all dropped significantly. Emissions of SO2 fell by 2,000 metric tons to 187,000 tons, NOx by 1,000 tons to 39,000 tons, and VOCs by 300 tons 27,800 tons, while the refineries' output increased by 6% in the same year. Levels of benzene in unleaded gasoline in Italy averaged 0.79 vol % as of third quarter 1998 vs. 1.4 vol % in 1997.

The average level of total aromatics fell to 33 vol % from 34 vol % over the same period.

Paradoxically, the extra energy refiners used to reduce benzene and aromatics concentrations contributed to a 5% increase in CO2 emissions from refineries in 1997. Particulate emissions increased to 5,100 tons from 4,900 tons in 1996, due to increased fuel oil consumption and greater use of catalytic cracking.

Italian refiners are expected to increase their hydrocracking capacity, as well as those for desulfurization and hydrogen production, in other to meet specifications for clean fuels in 2005.

Sulfur recovery in Italian refineries-thanks to broader implementation of Claus technology-increased by 13% in 1997, to 350,000 tons.

The general "waste index" ratio of the industry fell to 1:39 from 1:17 (tons of waste per 1,000 tons of product) during 1996-97.

By July 2000, all 25,000 gasoline stations remaining in Italy (2,000 were shuttered in 1998) will have to implement vapor recovery systems. All storage tanks are being revamped with double-containment floating roofs and automatic emissions monitoring systems.