Environmental Performance
         Oil Refineries
            Oil refineries refine crude oil to produce              Promotion of Efficient Energy 
            petroleum products such as gasoline, kerosene           Use to Prevent Global Warming
            and diesel fuel. 
                Large amounts of heat energy are required           The introduction of cogeneration facilities is one 
            during the refining process, so the refineries          measure being taken to use energy efficiently 
            are equipped with heaters, boilers and other            at oil refineries. Cogeneration equipment makes 
            facilities. These facilities burn petroleum gas, a      possible the supply of both heat and electrical 
            byproduct of fuel oil refining, releasing CO
                                                         2,         power at the same time. By using waste heat 
            SOx, NOx and other gases.  Cosmo Oil is                 occurring from electrical generation to generate 
            working to use energy efficiently to reduce CO2         steam, oil refineries can efficiently use this 
            emissions, while also working in many ways to           energy—the process is more efficient than 
            reduce SOx and NOx emissions.                           using electrical generation equipment alone. 
                We are also working to reduce the amount of         Operations at Cosmo Oil 
            water used in the refining process, and to make         provided 39,500kW at the 
            the appropriate treatment of wastewater to              Chiba Oil Refinery, 
            prevent water pollution outside the refineries.         17,500kW at the Yokkaichi 
              Petroleum Refining Process                            Oil Refinery, and 17,000kW 
              1. Crude oil is heated to the boiling point of        at the Sakai Oil Refinery.
                 the various desired materials and                      By improving existing 
                 divided into fractions                             infrastructure and by 
                     Distillation (atmospheric distillation,        precisely controlling 
                     vacuum distillation, etc.)                     operations, a major 
                                                                    reduction in CO
              2. Fractions are purified by eliminating                               2 emissions 
                 sulfur, nitrogen and metals                        is possible. For example, 
                     Desulfurization (hydrodesulfurization          through the introduction of                                   Cogeneration facility 
                                                                    inverters, the recovery of                                    at the Chiba Oil Refinery
                     unit)                                          heat from heater exhaust gas, and the careful 
              3. The purified fractions are processed to            checking and balancing of heat input and 
                 provide added value                                waste heat energy, conservation can be 
                     Conversion (catalytic reforming)               promoted. 
                     Cracking (catalytic cracking)                      At the Sakaide Oil Refinery, existing energy 
              4. The fractions (base materials) are mixed           conservation programs were strengthened, 
                 according to market needs                          resulting in major results in a very short time. As 
                     Blending (gasoline mixing unit, fuel           a result, the refinery was awarded the 2000 
                     oil blending unit, lubricating oil             Agency of Natural Resources and Energy 
                     mixing unit)                                   General-Director’s Award.
              Structure of Atmospheric                                   Petroleum gas fraction
              Distillation Unit                      Atmospheric                              Petroleum gas
                                                     distillation unit
                                Heating furnace                          Gasoline fraction
              Crude oil                                  30 to 180°C                          Gasoline, 
                                                                                              naphtha, etc.
                                                                         Kerosene fraction    Kerosene, 
                                                        170 to 250°C                          jet fuel
                                                                         Diesel fuel fraction
                                                        240 to 350°C                           Diesel fuel
                                                       Petroleum vapor   Heavy fuel oil fraction
                                                            350°C +                            Heavy fuel oil, 
                                                                                               asphalt, etc.
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            Environmental Performance
                                                   Preventing Air Pollution with                                      For the Effective Use of Water 
                                                   Flue Gas Desulfurization and                                       Resources and the Prevention of 
                                                   Vapor Recovery                                                     Water Pollution
                                                   We work to reduce emissions of SOx and NOx                         Seawater and industrial-use water are used in 
                                                   gases by using fuels which are low in sulfur and                   oil refinery processes. Cosmo Oil strives to use 
                                                   nitrogen in our oil                                                as little water as possible by applying the 
                                                   refineries’ heaters and                                            recirculation of industrial water for cooling. 
                                                   boilers. In addition,                                                  After being used for washing and other 
                                                   low-NOx burners are                                                refining processes, the resulting process 
                                                                                                                                    3
                                                   used to reduce the                                                 wastewater  is processed in the oil-water 
                                                   thermal NOx formed                                                 separation unit to remove oil, then undergoes 
                                                   when atmospheric                                                   active sludge treatment and other processes to 
                                                   nitrogen and oxygen                                                assist in water pollution prevention.
                                                   react during 
                                                   combustion, and flue           Fuel Gas Denitration unit 
                                                                                  which removes NOx from              Promotion of Waste Reduction
                                                   gas desulfurization            exhaust gases                       Through Volume Reduction and 
                                                                             1
                                                   and denitration units  have been introduced to                     Recycling
                                                   remove SOx and NOx from flue gases. Electric 
                                                   precipitators are also used to eliminate fine                      The major industrial waste products generated 
                                                   particulates from exhaust gases. Through these                     by oil refineries are the sludge which occurs 
                                                   actions, Cosmo Oil's four oil refineries have all                  during wastewater processing, and the spent 
                                                   cleared regulations in the emission of SOx and                     catalysts from the refining process. 
                                                   NOx, and are helping in the prevention of air                          Sludge is first dehydrated, then incinerated 
                                                   pollution.*

                                                      to reduce the quantity in incinerators which 
                                                       For gasoline tanker trucks, the release of                     have been carefully checked for accordance 
                                                                             2                                        with dioxin emission regulations. 
                                                   hydrocarbon vapors  into the atmosphere 
            1                                      during loading is prevented through the fitting                        Spent catalysts are reused through 
              Flue gas denitration unit            of vapor recovery units.                                           reactivation treatments, the metals in spent 
            A unit which removes NOx from 
            exhaust gases. Ammonia and a           * Please refer to data by site on page 41.                         catalysts are recovered, or recycled as a raw 
            catalyst are used to reduce the                                                                           material in cement. Through this the amount of 
            gas, or adsorption using an 
            adsorption solution can be used.                                                                          waste and the cost of new catalyst purchases 
            2 Hydrocarbon vapor                                                                                       are both reduced.
            The gasified form of light 
            hydrocarbons
            3 Process wastewater
            Wastewater containing oil 
            discharged from refining                                                                                                                4
            facilities. At the oil refinery, water                   Cosmo Oil Yokkaichi Kasumi Electric Power Plant Biotope 

            contained in the process                                 To find a suitable application for the surplus heavy oil from the Yokkaichi Oil Refinery, 
            wastewater is eliminated with an 
            oil-water separation unit, treated                       the Yokkaichi Kasumi Power Plant is being constructed, with the aim of selling the 
            by secondary processes such as                           electricity generated at the facility. During the environmental impact evaluation 
            active sludge treatment, and 
            discharged.                                              conducted prior to construction, however, it was discovered that two rare plant 
            4 Biotope                                                species–kawatsurumo or Wigeongrass (Ruppia 
            “Biotope” is a German term                               maritima Linnaeus) and tsutsuitomo or Small Pondweed 
            combining bio, the Greek word                            (Potamogeton pusillus)–were on the construction site. 
            for “life” and tope, from the Greek 
            topos or place. It is a place                            Both are aquatic plants which grow in marshes and 
            where plants, insects, fish and                          ponds. The Yokkaichi Kasumi Power Plant is a biotope 
            birds can exist in symbiosis. 
            They are created by                                      where the safeguarding of endangered species is 
            organizations, schools and                               promoted.
            companies in their local area for 
            the purpose of environmental 
            protection.                                                                                                            Protection of rare plants in the biotope
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