China’s new oil refining technology could cut energy use by 91% — here’s how scientists are turning crude oil into valuable products more efficiently

Oil refining is one of the most energy-intensive industrial processes in the world. Turning crude oil into petrol, diesel, plastics and other useful products requires large amounts of heat, pressure and complex chemical treatment.

Now, Chinese scientists have developed a new refining method that could dramatically reduce the energy required to separate valuable components from crude oil. According to the South China Morning Post , researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics have created a technique that may cut energy consumption by as much as 91 per cent in laboratory tests.