The ORLEN Unipetrol Group continues its commitment to innovating and streamlining its production technologies. This year, the Group has completed the modernisation of the unit producing electrically conductive soot, Chezacarb. Implementing state-of-the-art technologies in a unique production unit that will be subsequently expanded will increase production capacity and streamline the use of raw materials and energy sources. Thus, the Group is meeting its commitments to sustainable development, innovation, and technological progress announced within its development strategy until 2030.
Chezacarb is soot with electrical conductivity properties that is a byproduct of partial oxidation, which processes crude oil residues with oxygen and steam at high temperatures of up to 1300 °C. The first modernisation stage included 25 projects and focused on revitalising and implementing new technologies in production. The total investment in modernising the facility that underwent guarantee tests this year was CZK 270 million.
“Upgrading the Chezacarb unit is part of the long-term plan of modernising our production facilities. This investment will ensure continued safe and stable operations in the coming years. The new technologies will raise the unit’s availability and reliability and reduce the energy intensity while preserving production capacities. We will expand the unit with a third production line in the next years to process all soot water effectively,” says Maciej Romanów, a member of the board of directors of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group.
The unit will be expanded to include a third production line by 2028. It will increase the capacity and streamline the challenging operations. Chezacarb is used in industrial applications, including plastic dyeing and producing materials requiring static electricity prevention. Other applications include the environmental segment using Chezacarb’s excellent sorption qualities.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing and the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. It belongs among the key players on the Czech and Central European markets in all these areas. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, REMAQ in Otrokovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes the ORLEN Benzina network of petrol stations in the Czech Republic and the ORLEN network in Slovakia and Hungary. ORLEN Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. It employs almost 6,000 people. ORLEN Unipetrol is also a socially responsible company, particularly in the areas of supporting sustainable development, education, local communities and the environment. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the ORLEN Group, the largest oil refiner in Central Europe.