Post on 24-Jul-2018
businessEURO
PEAN
Interview with Andreas Schüppel, CEO of PURAGLOBE Holding GmbH
Sustainable base oil productsThere may be disagreement amongst experts about when exactly peak oil will be reached but one thing is certain – the end is in sight for the cheap oil era. After a decade in which oil prices have fluctuated wildly and are now on the rise again, many sectors are looking at more sustainable alternatives. PURAGLOBE Inc. is the exclusive provider of UOP HyLube™ and HyLubeSAT™ process technology, which it uses to develop innovative, sustainable base oil products from used oil. Thanks to this technology, it is the only provider worldwide of sus-tainable Group III base oils made from used oil. In Germany it is represented by its subsidi-ary, PURAGLOBE Holding GmbH.
Faced with the end of the oil era
as we know it, industry is looking
for alternatives. One axis of invest-
ment for the automotive industry
is in electric vehicles, but the day
when electric cars outnumber
diesel or petrol cars on the roads is
still a long way off and they will still
need petroleum-based lubricants.
PURAGLOBE prides itself on oper-
ating the most advanced, sustain-
able base oil facilities in the world.
Two of these are based in Zeitz,
Germany while a further facility is
currently being developed with the
same capabilities as its European
facilities in Tampa, Florida. “We
combine American ingenuity with
German engineering,”
says CEO Andreas
Schüppel. “Oil can
be endlessly recycled
and is graded accord-
ing to quality. Group
III is the highest qual-
ity available, used for
high performance car
engines. With our oils,
motorists can drive for
30,000 km before the
next oil change.”
This is made possible
by UOP’s unique
re-refining technol-
ogy HyLube™ and
HyLubeSAT™. “UOP
holds the patents and
we provide the tech-
nology,” explains Mr.
Schüppel. “We brought our first
facility for HyLube™ technology on
line in 2004. It is capable of pro-
cessing 75,000 t of used oil to pro-
duce 50,000 t of base oil a year.
After an investment of almost 40
million EUR, we brought a second,
larger facility on line in 2009. It has
a capacity to produce 100,000 t of
base oil from 150,000 t of used oil
in total.” Since then, the company
has been piloting its follow-on
technology HyLubeSAT™. This
will be the basis for its new plant
in Zeitz, Germany, which will be
commissioned in May 2017 and
in Tampa, Florida, as well which is
due to go into production in 2018.
“We are the only company in the
world with this technology,” says
Mr. Schüppel. “As well as produc-
ing sustainable, high grade motor
oil, it also leads to significant re-
ductions in carbon emissions. We
estimate that the carbon footprint of
our process will save 150,000 t of
carbon compared to the production
of crude oil on an annual basis.”
The price of the lower grades of
base oil is linked to the barrel price
Recycling motor oil using UOP’s HyLubeSAT™ technol-ogy can reduce carbon emissions by 150,000 t per year
PURAGLOBE’s used oil recycling activities extend the lifespan of the earth’s oil resources
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PURAGLOBE Holding GmbHHauptstrasse 30, Gebäude 37 06729 Elsteraue Germany
+49 3441 228150 +49 3441 2281510
info@puralube.com www.puraglobe.com
of crude. When this falls, then
PURAGLOBE’s turnover falls as
well. Although no one expects the
oil price to hit the highs of 100
USD a barrel of a few years ago,
recent rises are indicative of the
general direction of travel. “I can-
not see anywhere else for oil prices
to go than up,” says Mr. Schüppel.
“A lot of the oil producing coun-
tries cannot continue to survive
at less than 50 USD a barrel and
recent rises above this mark will be
sustained going into the future.”
The price for Group III base oil
is much more attractive, which
means PURABLOBE’s invest-
ments in this area should pay off
handsomely. “Our goal is to be a
fast and reliable supplier of Group
III basis oils,” says Mr. Schüppel.
“Modern engines are becoming
more compact while the demands
on performance are rising. This
will mean even greater demand
for our products.” PURAGLOBE
now offers ten different base oils
in its portfolio, having started out
in 2005 with just three. A further
seven are currently in develop-
ment. “We started developing the
HyLubeSAT™ technology together
with UOP seven years ago as a
pioneer in the market,” says Mr.
Schüppel. “No one else dared take
the risk. I am not worried by the
fluctuations in the oil price. We
have the technical expertise, the
contacts and supportive investors.
Our results are strong and I relish
the challenge of looking for new
customers.” As well as heading up
the German operation, Mr. Schüp-
pel has also been President and
CEO of the American operation
since 2013. He is passionate about
the potential of the technology. “I
came to PURAGLOBE, or PURA-
LUBE as it was then known, from
BP. I did not need to move but I
was fascinated by the technology
and the opportunity to build up an
international company. The first
stage has already been achieved
and further growth and interna-
tional expansion will follow in the
coming years.” ❙
Work on PURAGLOBE’s new Group III basis oil facility in Tampa, Florida is well underway and production should start next year
One of two HyLube™ used oil recycling facilities operated by PURAGLOBE in Zeitz, Germany
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