S-Oil starts production of alkylate

South Korea’s third largest refiner S-Oil Corp. said that it has started producing 9,200 barrels of alkylate a day at a new alkylation plant in Ulsan, about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Alkylation is a method of processing petrol that makes it more stable for storage and with fewer environmentally harmful hydrocarbons. Alkylate is considered an eco-friendly gasoline feedstock because it contains no noxious substances like sulfur, olefin, aromatic and benzene. The refiner spent 150 billion won (US$120 million) to build the plant. (September 3, 2009)