Defossilizing the FCCU via co-processing of biogenic feedstock: From laboratory to commercial scale

Andrea Fernández is an FCC and Merox Process Engineer for bp. She joined bp in 2020 as a Process Engineer for the treatment units. Since mid-2021, she has been working as an FCC Process Engineer. In Spain, Fernández earned a chemical engineering degree from the University of Santiago de Compostela, along with a specialized MS degree in industrial chemical engineering from the University of Alicante.

Apolo Mena is a Production Engineer for bp. He works as a Production Engineer in the conversion area of the Castellón refinery. His career began in 2001 as a Field Operator, and he became a Conversion Supervisor 8 yr later. From 2019–2022, Mena was a Shift Superintendent.

Carlos Rivas is responsible for the renewable fuels business at bp’s Castellón refinery. He started his career at bp in 2010, and has held different roles in technical, operational and commercial areas. Since 2018, Rivas has focused on how to increase renewable fuels and circular feedstock footprints.

María Bescansa Leirós is a Technical Sales Manager for Grace FCC and ART Hydroprocessing, covering Spain, Portugal and parts of Romania within Grace’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region. She has 19 yr of experience in the refining industry, previously working at the Repsol La Coruña refinery in northwest Spain. Leirós has held various roles within Repsol, most recently in the FCC area, but always related to catalytic processes. She led the team that developed the first ISO 50001 awarded to a refinery. In Spain, she earned an MS degree in chemical engineering from the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, along with an MBA degree from the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia.

Rafael González Sánchez is the Regional Marketing Manager, Asia-Pacific and India, for Grace. A chemical engineer, he has more than 17 yr of multidisciplinary experience in catalyst design and development, technical services, account management and marketing. Dr. González joined Grace as a research and development researcher, leading new FCC catalyst and ZSM-5 additive developments. He then became a Regional Technical Sales Manager prior to joining the marketing team. Dr. González is a co-author of several publications in the FCC industry field. He earned a PhD in engineering and advanced technologies from Universitat de Barcelona, and an Executive MBA degree from the EAE Business School in Barcelona.