Eni’s new plant has begun production of biodiesel, bio-naphtha, bioLPG and biojet fuel.
The Eni biorefinery in Gela uses up to 100% of the biomass from used cooking oil and fats from fish and meat processing produced in Sicily to create a zero-kilometre circular economy model for the production.
Castor oil will also be used to feed the Gela biorefinery, thanks to an experimental project to grow castor plants on semi-desert land in Tunisia, thereby completely replacing palm oil.
The plant’s construction began in early 2020 and despite slowdowns caused by the management of activities during the pandemic, the vast majority of the project was completed on schedule.
The launch of Biomass Treatment Unit (BTU) completes the second phase of the transformation of the industrial site, which is solely dedicated to sustainable production processes and is a step forwards in the decarbonisation and energy transition process that underlies Eni’s strategy.
The transformation of the former petrochemical plant in Gela is an example of a regenerative circular economy, which has allowed production cycles based on fossil sources to be converted and is linked with the plan to demolish the plants no longer in use with a view to the production of biofuels.
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