Marathon’s Martinez Renewable Fuels facility is making fuel again and has produced its first first cup of renewable diesel from biobased feedstocks such as animal fat, soybean oil and corn oil.
In March of 2021, Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) announced that it was converting its Martinez refinery operation into a renewable fuels manufacturing facility. The plant shut down and laid off over 200 fulltime workers while it retooled to convert the operations from refining petroleum to manufacturing renewable fuel.
The Martinez Renewable Fuels (MRF) project is a joint venture between Marathon Petroleum Corp. and Neste of Finland. Neste paid Marathon $1 billion for 50% of the project. Neste is known for its sophisticated supply chains to source waste for feedstock.
As of February 10, the idle refinery is now back up and making only renewable diesel, with pretreatment capabilities to come online the second half of this year.
The feedstocks would be processed into renewable diesel, naphtha, propane and treated fuel gas. Refinery feedstocks and products are to be transported to and from the refinery using trucks, rail, marine vessel, and pipeline. Much of it had already been used to make Ethanol, a gasoline additive.
For a few days they had to flare (burn off) excess Hydrogen producing only a clear flame and water. They are not flaring Hydrogen anymore. The process creates it, but then uses that hydrogen later on in the creation of diesel. It also creates propane, and then uses it instead of natural gas to make heat and electricity.
MPC President and CEO Michael J. Hennigan stated in the March 2021 conversion announcement, “Converting the Martinez facility from refining petroleum to manufacturing renewable fuels signals MPC’s strong commitment to producing a substantial level of lower carbon-intensity fuels in California.”
At full capacity, MPC expects the Martinez facility to produce about 730 million gallons per year of renewable fuels, predominantly renewable diesel, by the end of 2023. It will be the leading refinery making renewable diesel in the world.
