All about HVO or hydrobiodiesel

HVO or hydrobiodiesel is a biofuel that is produced from organic waste such as recycled vegetable oils and animal fats. Unlike conventional biodiesel, which is obtained by a chemical process of transesterification (a method that converts oils or fats into biodiesel by exchanging components with an alcohol), HVO is produced by hydrogenation. This process improves the quality of the resulting fuel by removing impurities, increasing its stability and performance, and producing a fuel with better combustion properties.

In practice, hydrogenation involves the addition of hydrogen to oils and fats under high temperatures and pressure, removing oxygen and creating a chemical structure similar to that of diesel of mineral origin, but with a significantly smaller carbon footprint. This feature is one of the main attractions of hydrobiodiesel.

Committing to renewable fuels such as HVO contributes to reducing the carbon footprint, but the advantages of hydrobiodiesel go further. Here are some of the standouts:

• Reduction of CO2 emissions. HVO allows for a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional diesel. According to the international study The significance of low carbon bio-alcohols and bio-ketones fuels for clean propulsion systems, -focused on researching how to reduce vehicle emissions without affecting engines-, in which the Universidad de Málaga and the Future Power Systems Group of the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) have participated, this hydrobiodiesel can reduce up to 90% of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
• Improved air quality. Hydrobiodiesel produces fewer emissions of gases such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and other fine particles, improving air quality and, consequently, minimizing health risks.
• Compatibility with existing engines. HVO can be used in diesel engines without modifications, which facilitates its adoption by fleets of vehicles and agricultural and industrial machinery.
• Improved performance and useful life of engines. This type of renewable fuel generates less waste in the engine, prolonging its useful life and reducing maintenance costs. In addition, thanks to its higher cetane number, HVO can improve engine performance and reduce consumption which, in practice, also means economic savings.
• Optimization of resources and new opportunities. By using recycled oils and fats, hydrobiodiesel promotes an economy that optimizes the use of waste. In this way, new economic and job opportunities in sectors such as recycling and biofuel production are added to the environmental benefit.

Achieving a low-carbon future depends, to a large extent, on innovation. In the renewable fuels sector, the types and applications we develop at Repsol stem from this commitment to the search for innovative solutions. Within this chapter, however, it is worth distinguishing between synthetic fuels or e-fuels - still in the experimental phase - and biofuels, which are already a reality and are available in an increasing number of our service stations in the iberian peninsula.

An example of this is Repsol Nexa Diesel, formulated on the basis of the company's HVO, 100% renewable and which also has the premium additive package. It is important to note that being the leading producer of HVO in the iberian peninsula, as well as the first marketer for the end customer of 100% renewable fuels in Spain, is the result of years of research in our R&D center, Repsol Technology Lab. In fact, we have the first large-scale 100% renewable fuel plant in the iberian peninsula, a project that represents a new step towards mobility aimed at reducing carbon emissions. This plant, located in Cartagena, has the capacity to produce HVO and other biofuels from raw materials of organic origin.

Another example of technological innovation is biofuels for aircraft (biojet, or SAF, Sustainable Aviation Fuel), which are the main lever to reduce CO2 emissions in the aviation sector, since in their entire life cycle they avoid up to 80% of them. Recently - together with Iberia - we have signed an agreement with Inditex that allows Repsol's SAF to represent 5% of the fuel that Iberia uses to transport Inditex merchandise on its flights.

The materialization of these and other actions is observed in agreements such as the one reached with the Sesé logistics and transport group. Under the agreement, Repsol will supply eight million litres of hydrobiodiesel over the next two years to vehicles in the company's fleet. The agreement joins similar ones signed with different companies, in order to reduce transport emissions through our 100% renewable fuels.