Hungary-based oil and gas company MOL Group has completed a second pilot project for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), this time at the INA-operated Rijeka refinery in Croatia.
The trial involved the co-processing of 5% palm oil mill effluent (POME) with fossil feedstocks using the refinery’s hydrocracking unit.
Around 1,000 tonnes of biogenic material were processed during the pilot, which was certified by Bureau Veritas in line with ISCC standards.
The pilot follows a previous SAF and HVO production test at MOL Group’s Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava . In that trial, HVO was produced from cashew nut shell oil and SAF from partially refined used cooking oil, confirming the suitability of existing production units for alternative fuels.
Csaba Zsótér, Senior Vice President of Fuels at MOL Group, said the latest pilot reflects the company’s intention to expand production.
“MOL Group already produces diesel and sustainable aviation fuel from renewable feedstocks and is ready to expand the production,” he said. “This readiness underscores our strategic commitment to sustainable mobility, whether in road or air transport.”
Preparation for the Rijeka pilot took eight months due to the specific physical and chemical properties of the new feedstock. During the test, more than 400 samples were collected and analysed by INA’s Central Testing Laboratory, with C14 analysis carried out by the Ruđer Bošković Institute and Isotoptech Zrt.
MOL Group also operates co-processing at its Danube refinery in Százhalombatta, Hungary, where bio and fossil components are processed simultaneously to reduce the lifecycle emissions of conventional fuels.
“We are already playing a leading role in this process in the region, and we are determined to maintain this position through continued investments and innovation,” said Zsótér.
The company currently offers SAF as part of its regular operations in Hungary, Slovakia, and Croatia, in quantities equivalent to approximately 14 kilotonnes per year.
