Addressing climate change and environmental issues has become a top priority in the 21st century.In recent years,global decarbonization efforts have accelerated,underpinned by civil society's demand for long-term sustainability and government mandates that set aggressive carbon emissions targets,such as net zero emissions by 2050.However,despite recent advancements in the efficiency and storage of renewable energy sources(solar,wind,geothermal,etc.),petroleum is highly cost-competitive,transportable,accessible and remains a reliable medium for meeting society's short-to medium-term energy needs.The development of new uses for refinery byproducts presents a practical solution for the pressing issues facing the downstream processing industry.Akin to the rise of petrochemicals derived from light hydrocarbons providing diversification opportunities,novel non-combustion uses for heavy hydrocarbon fractions add incremental economic value,flexibility and resilience to refinery operations.Moreover,non-combustible outlets for petroleum allow the industry to meet its environmental obligations in a green society.If left unaddressed,the regulatory costs and impairments related to lowering carbon emissions may significantly impact project economics for a refiner.This article describes a low-cost solution for the decarbon-ization of petroleum while simultaneously producing byproducts that have practical benefits for other industries.
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