(59b) Benzene Management Options (Webcast Not Available)

New benzene regulations have forced refiners to evaluate strategies to manage the amount of Benzene in their gasoline pools. The regulations enacted by the EPA under Mobile Sources Air Toxics Phase 2 (MSAT2) will require refiners in the U.S. to reduce benzene in their gasoline pool to a yearly average of 0.62 vol-percent by 2011. Refiners will have to optimize across multiple units in their refineries to estabilish their optimum strategy to meet the new standards with minimum capital expenditure.

This paper will discuss several options for reduction of benzene in gasoline pools such as: prefractionation, postfractionation, and benzene saturation. Some refiners may be able to meet the new regulations by adjusting process operations to minimize benzene production and using credits to off-set benzene levels higher than 0.62 vol%. Others will have to invest in revamp or new equipment to meet the new targets.