The secret formula of renewable fuels

To excavate the Channel Tunnel, and for the European continent and the United Kingdom to join hands underground, the involvement of 8,000 people was necessary, half of them working from each of the two shores.. 10,000 scientists contributed their knowledge and work over the years to develop the CERN particle accelerator and begin to unravel the deep mysteries of matter. Some 25,000 workers did their bit to build the Three Gorges Dam in China and retain the waters of the Yangtze River, the third longest in the world…

To become a reality, the great works of architecture, engineering and human innovation have always required the talent, commitment and effort of great professionals from different disciplines.. People who pose a challenge, people who respond to it, people who drive it and execute it…

Something similar is currently happening with the energy transition. In order to decarbonise human activity, different solutions will be necessary (the incorporation of renewable fuels in transport, the renewable generation of electricity, the use of renewable hydrogen in industry…) and huge investments and industrial transformations will be necessary, but the Contribution of mechanics, chemists, engineers, managers, operators…. And, of course, the end users.

KEY TO DECARBONISING TRANSPORTATION

An example of this is renewable fuels, which, although perhaps less well known than electric vehicles, are going to be a key element in the energy transition. For starters, because they are net zero emissions, so they will help reduce CO2 emissions in all transport sectors, especially in shipping, aviation or heavy road transport, where electric motors are not yet a viable alternative. But also because they are compatible with current vehicles, without the need to make mechanical adaptations.

Elena María Agenjos, head of tanks and terminal at the Repsol industrial complex in Cartagena.

That is why the people who work on the construction of Repsol's advanced biofuels plant in Cartagena, the first in the Iberian Peninsula to produce this type of renewable fuel, speak with enthusiasm about the initiative to which they dedicate their talent.. “I am very proud to be able to participate with my work to achieve this challenge that society sets us,” acknowledges Elena María Agenjos, an industrial engineer by training and head of tanks and terminal at Repsol.

The start-up of the plant in which the multi-energy company will invest more than 200 million euros is scheduled for before the end of 2023. The use of advanced biofuels that it will produce will prevent the emission into the atmosphere of 900,000 tons of CO2. The figure, by itself, may not say much, but its equivalence does: that amount of CO2 is what 45 million trees absorb or the reduction in emissions that a fleet of three million electric cars would achieve during their entire life cycle. .

“It is an exciting project that allows me to continue learning and see a plant grow from scratch,” agrees Antonio Rivera, area manager at the complex.

Agenjos and Rivera are two of the 1,000 professionals who will participate in the project, from the design phase to start-up, going through the current construction process. “The challenge in building a plant like this is not to interrupt the daily dynamics of an industrial complex, in which 1,600 people already work,” explains Daniel Zubiela, the project's construction manager, who underlines the positive impact it has on the around. “Adding up to 240 auxiliary companies has meant an increase in work in the industrial sector of the region.

Daniel Zubiela, construction manager of Repsol's advanced biofuels plant in Cartagena. FUTURE FOR RURAL SPAIN

Figures like these perfectly describe the positive economic impact that advanced biofuels will have.. In addition, the beneficial effects will also reach rural Spain, supplier of organic waste that serves as raw material with which this type of renewable fuel is made: agricultural pruning, surplus slurry, forest biomass…. together with the used frying oil.

Micaela García, panelist at the Repsol industrial complex in Cartagena.

In addition, not only will waste from the countryside be used to decarbonise transport from a circular economy approach, but doing so will reduce the carbon footprint of its activities.

INNOVATION AND PEOPLE

“I think the transformation effort and the continuous changes that are being made in the processes to reduce carbon emissions, introduce renewable products and always be evolving, trying to improve…” emphasizes Micaela García, a 23-year-old panelist. of experience in the company.

Adela Alemán, process engineer and coordinator of Repsol's advanced biofuels plant in Cartagena.

“Innovation is fundamental, because without it it would be impossible to achieve the emission reduction targets and it will allow us to develop new technologies to reach our decarbonization goal,” says Adela Alemán, process engineer and project coordinator.

A challenge that will facilitate the energy transition of other sectors thanks to solutions such as renewable fuels. “Repsol is making a huge effort to transform itself and turn industrial complexes into multi-energy hubs where we create products with low or zero emissions,” adds Alemán.

What is clear is that to build and start up a plant like the one in Cartagena, something more than economic investment is needed.. The talent, effort and commitment to the energy transition of professionals such as Antonio, Elena, Daniel, Micaela and Adela are essential.