Refinery Processes: Treating

Crude oil naturally contains contaminants such as sulfur, nitrogen, and heavy metals, which are undesirable in motor fuels. The treating process, primarily hydrotreating, removes these chemicals by binding them with hydrogen, absorbing them in separate columns, or adding acids to remove them. The recovered molecules are then sold to other industries. Refineries that process sour crudes produce more sulfur than refineries that process sweet crudes. Following the treatment, blending, and cooling processes, the liquids finally look like the fuels and products you’re familiar with: gasoline, lubricants, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel fuel, heating oil, and petrochemical feedstocks that are needed to create the plastics and other products you use every day.