Sinopec Wuhan to upgrade gasoline production

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) plans to add a 1.5 million metric tonne per year (mtpy) gasoline desulfurization unit at its 8 million mtpy refinery in Wuhan, Hubei province, central China.

Sinopec Wuhan Petrochemical Co. will use S-Zorb™, a gasoline desulfurization technology licensed by China Petrochemical Technology Co. Ltd. (Sinopec Tech), a subsidiary of Sinopec.

Construction is expected to start in June and the unit will be ready to start operations by the end of this year, Platts reported.

The construction is part of an upgrading project that will enable the refinery to produce gasoline that meets China’s National Phase 5 emission standards.

China’s implementation of National Phase 5 emission standards, which place a cap on sulphur content of 10 parts per million (ppm) on both gasoline and diesel fuel, has been brought forward to 1 January 2017 recently.

The gasoline currently being produced in the Sinopec Wuhan refinery only meets National Phase 4 standards.

Wuhan City plans to adopt National Phase 5 standards before the end of this year, ahead of China’s nationwide implementation.