Actual situation of the problem in Ukraine and Uzbekistan

Now in Ukraine all petrol production is based on natural oil refining and cracking. In order to improve octane-number up to 20% of benzoid compounds are allowed. New regulation for petrol production is now developed by NAFTOKHIM (main user of current project). Ukrainian standard will be based on the European and USA ones and so will demand elimination of benzoid compounds from petrol products. But implementation of the standard in Ukraine can be postponed by absent of technological process for petrol isomerization. High demand of new regulation from Environmental protection authority initiates preparation of this standard, but first attempt on it authorisation through Ukraine Suprime Soviet has failed due to opposition from petrol plans’ directors. The reason was simple: no technology for petrol isomerisation is currently available in Ukraine. And even, if special line will be build on oil-refinary plants, agressive acids should be used as a catalysts, that demand the use of special highly costing construction materials. It is not advisable in today’s economic situation in Ukraine.

Chapter 1.Economic and social importance of the problem The project has both economic and social impact. Since Ukraine has quite productive plants for petrol production and no isomerization process applied on those plants, new regulation will demand installation of new equipment for additional alkylation of petrol. There are no domain catalysts on the market for petrol isomerization process. And so in addition to fresh-oil dependence (all natural oil in Ukraine for petrol production comes from Russia) Ukraine can have technological dependence from West or East. In case of success, this project can lead to commercial catalysts for petrol isomerisation. Social importance of the project has two aspects: first one is associated with the fact that in the case if isomerization process will be introduced to Ukrainian petrol plants, new regulation for production of benzoic-free petrol will have technical basis and so it can be established in Ukraine. Establishing of this new regulation will lead to essential reduction of impact from exhausts to atmosphere.  The second one is increasing of working positions in case if new technology will be introduced. 

Chapter 2. Expected impact of the results of the project In case of success, solid technologically beneficial non-aggressive catalysts for low-temperature isomerisation of alkanes will be developed. This allows to initiate improvement of the technology for large-scale petrol production and to include in the technological scheme special line for petrol alkilation, instead of adding to it benzoid compounds. It is also clear that home made catalysts will be cheaper then imported. It will have economic benefit. Also, there are disadvantages related to the use in technology of strong acids such as H2SO4 or HF, that will be also overcome in case of using proposed superacidic solid catalysts. This will simplify technological scheme. So new regulation for environmentally improved petrol production can have technological basis in Ukraine.