Topsoe will provide its HydroFlex™ technology to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Renewable Diesel (RD), while also deploying its H2bridge™ technology to ensure the plant has a Net Zero greenhouse gas footprint, recycling green hydrogen generated by waste carbon and production by-product back into the plant’s operations.

Henrik Rasmussen, Managing Director, The Americas, Topsoe, said he was excited to support the production of low-carbon fuels with its proven technologies for what will be the largest renewable fuels plant in South America, while also facilitating the net-zero operations of the biorefinery, adding that it was “a true model” for a low-carbon energy future.

Construction is on schedule for first production by 2025. The biorefinery will have a producing capacity of 180,000 bpd (2.6bn gallons per year) of biofuel and 405,000 MT of green hydrogen annually once fully operational. Panama offers great potential as a platform to transport the sustainable fuels globally.

Randy Delbert Letang, CEO of SGP BioEnergy, said, “We will not only produce the fuel that will decarbonise transportation but do so in a way that is also decarbonising the manufacturing process itself. It is the first time both advanced biofuels and green hydrogen will be produced together at this scale, and we are excited to be bringing this innovation to Panama.”

Renewable diesel is a low-carbon fuel made from renewable sources and is chemically identical to regular petroleum diesel. This means it produces less greenhouse gas emissions, while performing the same as regular petroleum diesel and can be used without modification to engines or infrastructure.

Renewable diesel is made sustainably from waste or recycled animal fats, e.g. from restaurants, as well as inedible corn and soybean oil. These materials, that would otherwise be thrown away, are converted into diesel, producing a much cleaner alternative to regular diesel.

With HydroFlex™, customers can convert low value feedstocks into drop-in renewable jet and diesel that meets all of the globally accepted specifications for these fuels. The innovative HydroFlex™ process layout offers lower capital expenditure (CAPEX), but also a lower energy consumption during operation, resulting in a lower Carbon Index (CI).

Topsoe’s HydroFlex™ can be deployed in both grassroots units and revamps for co-processing or stand-alone applications.