Ecopetrol receives third biofuels patent in Colombia

Ecopetrol reports it has been awarded a patent from the Colombian Superintendence of Industry and Trade for a technology which makes it possible generate biofuels by refining vegetable oils and heavy oil fractions (such as gas oils) in a single process.

The development, called Process for hydrotreating vegetable oil mixed with heavy oil fractions is the third patent related to biofuels that the company has received, together with Biocetano and Bioparaffins.

The process serves to leverage installed capacity in the refineries by co-processing natural vegetable oil together with heavy fractions from the refining process.

This recognition applies for 20 years from December 2009 and is the eighth patent granted to the company in 2013.