Eni has converted its refinery in Porto Marghera, Venice, to the production of high quality bio-fuel from vegetable oil and biomass.

Eni has breathed new life into the refinery in Porto Marghera, converting it to the production of green fuel.

Biofuel from vegetable oil

Eni’s Green Refinery project at Porto Marghera in Venice is the world’s first example of the conversion of a conventional refinery into a bio-refinery able to transform organic raw materials into high quality biofuels. The plant produces green diesel, green naphtha, LPG and potentially also jet fuel. It is currently fed by palm oil, but the plan is also to use biomass. The technological core of the project is EcofiningTM, a system developed in the San Donato Milanese laboratories in collaboration with Honeywell-UOP and then applied to the catalytic hydro-desulphurisation section of the Venice refinery. EcofiningTM has also enabled us to embark on yet another ambitious experimental development, namely the supply of biodiesel for the Italian navy’s offshore patrol vessel Foscari, the first example of its kind in the world.

A new life for the refinery

For Eni, the conversion of an oil refinery to a bio-refinery is not only of environmental and technological significance, but also of economic and social importance, since it allows us to give new life to the plant and guarantee continued employment through innovation. Reusing an existing structure instead of building a new one offers considerable savings at the initial investment level.

Another benefit of the conversion that we care about as a company is the marked reduction in emissions.