Chevron Spearheads Innovative Fuel Alternatives

(NACS Magazine) The company has fit-for-purpose solutions to match a variety of customer needs. -- ... A recent notable achievement is the demonstration of Chevron’s renewable gasoline blend, an innovative new fuel which aims to help address transportation sector carbon emissions. It has a life cycle carbon intensity that at scale production would be more than 40% lower than traditional gasoline. Chevron’s renewable gasoline blend, a drop-in fuel, is compatible with current infrastructure and gasoline-fueled engines on the road today. If produced and marketed at scale, this lower-carbon-intensity gasoline could unlock the potential for motorists to be a part of a lower carbon future without switching vehicles.

These renewable gasoline blends are designed to be seamlessly integrated into the light-duty sector, with no changes to existing engines or infrastructure. This makes them an appealing option for reducing life cycle carbon emissions in the near-term. The fuel performs interchangeably with traditional gasoline but emits less carbon dioxide on a life cycle basis.

CHEVRON EXPANDS QUALITY RENEWABLE BIODIESEL OFFERING

In June 2022, Chevron acquired Renewable Energy Group (REG) to boost its renewable fuels expertise. Founded in the late 1990s, Renewable Energy Group has grown to have a portfolio of 11 biodiesel and renewable diesel production facilities in the United States and Europe and is one of the largest biofuels producers in the United States.

Chevron Renewable Energy Group spent over six years developing a next-generation, high-quality biodiesel. This biodiesel is produced using advanced refining processes and testing procedures for blending with renewable diesel and is used to create Chevron renewable diesel blends. These blends are currently offered throughout California and are expanding into the Pacific Northwest. Chevron’s renewable diesel blend is compatible with current station infrastructure and diesel-fueled vehicles on the road today.

THE CHEVRON PORTFOLIO FOR DRIVING LOWER CARBON INTENSITY

Chevron is deploying a portfolio of reliable and competitive options of lower carbon intensity products. By reducing the carbon intensity of its own operations, Chevron is providing lower carbon intensity traditional fuels. Additionally, Chevron offers easy-to-adopt lower carbon intensity options such as renewable diesel and biodiesel that can be used in existing diesel engines with no modifications and are immediately adoptable. Chevron continues to progress actions in offering an expanded portfolio of options for today and tomorrow.

Chevron’s renewable diesel blend is a diesel fuel made with at least 80% renewable diesel and up to 20% biodiesel, typically with no more than 1% conventional petroleum diesel. In limited applications, the blend ratios of Chevron’s renewable diesel blend may be altered to include more petroleum diesel to manage cold flow properties. Primarily made from biofeedstocks, Chevron’s renewable diesel blend provides a lower life cycle carbon intensity than conventional petroleum diesel.

The terms “renewable diesel” and “biodiesel” are often used interchangeably, although the fuels are produced differently. Both renewable diesel and biodiesel are derived from the same types of feedstocks, which can include soybean oil, used cooking oil, tallow and other plant- and animal-based oils. The primary difference is in the way each is processed into a fuel, which affects their composition.

Chevron renewable diesel blend has physical properties that benefit the combustion process in diesel engines, resulting in lower engine-out emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulates than conventional petroleum diesel. It also has a greater cetane number than conventional petroleum diesel, which can improve cold start performance in certain engines and high lubricity. This can minimize friction between, and damage to, surfaces in relative motion under load.

CHEVRON EXPANDS CNG STATION NETWORK AND RNG SUPPLY

While trucking mostly relies on diesel to fuel its engines, a move toward natural gas can be an important step forward in further lowering fleet carbon emissions. Chevron is proud to help increase compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel availability, which can enable faster adoption.

Renewable natural gas (RNG) comes from naturally occurring biomethane from multiple sources including livestock waste, landfills, wastewater sludge, food waste and other organic waste operations. The raw biomethane is captured and upgraded to remove contaminants and can be injected into existing natural gas pipeline networks and used as a substitute virtually indistinguishable from natural gas.

Chevron continues to make strides in CNG and RNG through several ongoing projects, all part of the continued pursuit of progressing lower carbon intensity value chains. Here are some outstanding examples:

HYDROGEN VALUE CHAIN IN DEVELOPMENT

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and according to the U.S. Department of Energy, engines fueled with it can be twice as efficient as a combustion engine. Today there are about 16,000 fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) on the road (according to the organization Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership), and they are growing in popularity. There are zero tailpipe carbon emissions from FCEVs and these vehicles can represent a significant reduction in carbon intensity as compared to traditional fuels.