Spanish Oil Research Articles

Study of PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and anhydro-sugars in ambient air near two Spanish oil refineries: Covid-19 effects

We report the results from a 12 month-long study of the organic compounds associated to PM2.5 samples collected around two petroleum refineries (4 samples/month/site) in two complex industrial zones reporting atmospheric pollution issues in the past (Estuary of Huelva and Bay of Algeciras, Spain). Sampling campaign was done from March 2020 when a Covid-19 lockdown was established at Spain to March 2021. Concentrations of fine particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and anhydrosugars were separately measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ion chromatography-amperometric detection (IC-PAD). The annual average abundances of PM2.5-bound benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) are 0.024 and 0.013 ng˖m−3 at La Rábida and Puente Mayorga monitoring stations, while both sites have annual average concentrations of levoglucosan in PM2.5 of 14.98 and 9.78 ng˖m−3, respectively. Seasonal variations are observed for concentrations of ƩPAHs and total anhydrosugars in both sampling sites. For PAHs, the highest concentrations averaging c. a. 0.400 (La Rábida) and 0.350 ng m−3 (Puente Mayorga) are reported in cold months during December 2020-Febraury 2021 (post-lockdown period), compared to the lowest levels averaging 0.111 and 0.211 ng˖m−3, respectively, in temperate months from mid-March 2020 to early June 2020 (0.284 and 0.321 ng m−3 on average annually), coinciding with the confinement and relaxation periods in Spain. Similarly, total anhydrosugars show the highest values of 81.80 ng˖m−3 (La Rábida) and 53.52 ng˖m−3 (Puente Mayorga) in winter and lowest values of 2.71 ng˖m−3 and 3.30 ng˖m−3 into the lockdown period (22.51 and 14.09 ng˖m−3 on average annually). Except phenanthrene, PAHs are present in PM2.5 principally as result of motor vehicle exhausts. Levoglucosan, a tracer for biomass burning, peaked in December 2020 and January 2021, during the high residential wood-burning season. In addition, multivariate analysis was used to assess the origin of organic components of PM2.5 samples. The two principal components are characterized by the grouping of heavy PAHs associated to vehicular traffic, and anhydrosugars indicating biomass burning emissions, respectively.

Cepsa upgrades alkylbenzene plant

The Spanish oil and chemical company Cepsa has completed the conversion of its linear alkylbenzene (LAB) plant in San Roque, Spain, from a hydrofluoric acid–catalyzed production process to the Detal process that Cepsa developed with UOP. The new process uses a solid-bed zeolite catalyst. Cepsa says the $140 million conversion will reduce emissions, waste generation, and water consumption during the production of LAB, a detergent raw material.

Business Roundup

BUSINESS Business Roundup ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2021, 99 (19), p 13May 24, 2021Cite this:C&EN 99, 19, 13AbstractEnerkem and the Spanish oil company Repsol plan to build a waste-to-chemical plant in Tarragona, Spain. The plant will use a gasification process to convert about 400,000 metric tons (t) of municipal waste per year into 220,000 t of methanol. BP and Cemex will link up to accelerate production of cement with a lower carbon dioxide footprint. Their goal is to reach net-zero carbon by 2050. The firms will examine low-carbon power and transportation; energy efficiency; natural carbon offsets; and carbon capture, utilization, and storage. Arkema plans to acquire Fort Worth, Texas–based Edge Adhesives, a producer of hot-melt adhesives and pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes used in residential construction. Edge has annual sales of $12 million and about 50 employees. DuPont will spend $5 million to increase its capacity to make automotive adhesives in Germany and Switzerland. The firm’s focus will be on adhesives for electric vehicles, such as those for batteryView: PDF | Full Text HTML

Price coordination in the Spanish oil market: The monday effect

Spanish premium oil operators have been accused of coordinating gasoline price cuts on Mondays. The objective of this practice, known as the “Monday effect” was to lower the official prices of automotive fuels - that was collected on Mondays - so as Spain was not at the top of the European price ranking. This behavior presumably ceased in May 2013 when Government began to consider the average prices of the entire week instead of Mondays prices. In order to test whether this anticompetitive behavior existed and ceased after the change in the data collection methodology, we employ a novel database that includes retail prices for all petrol stations in Spain in the period 2012–2013. Using a difference-in-difference estimator, we exploit this regulatory change to econometrically identify and confirm that: i) the three main companies, with 70% of the market share, have systematically established lower prices on Mondays, and that this is unjustified by either cost or demand; ii) this price reduction was small during 2012, but increased significantly in the first half of 2013. iii) following the change in the collection of price data by the government, the average Monday effect ‘disappeared’ from the Spanish gasoline market. Our results highlight the price coordination capacity of dominant oil operators in Spain and suggest that authorities that monitor cartels should be much more active in promoting competition in this sector, for example, by facilitating the entry of low-cost or independent stations and/or by being particularly alert to evidence of collusive behavior. Likewise, this coordination capacity must be taken into account when evaluating mergers in this sector and/or imposing fines.

Analysis of brand influence in the rockets and feathers effect using disaggregated data

This paper studies price asymmetries (the ‘rockets and feathers effect’) at the firm level using an approach that fundamentally differs from the previous literature. The research analyses the Spanish oil market, using more than 11 million daily price records from December, 23, 2014, to December 31, 2017. We apply the most common econometric approach to investigate asymmetry, the error correction model, and find asymmetries for all brands, either classic brands or low-cost flag brands. Classic brands make price adjustments in shorter periods, whereas supermarket brands, as well as independent and low-cost brands, correct prices only slowly. This research makes an original contribution to the study of the rockets and feathers phenomenon using brands as the units of analysis. The speed of price adjustments is especially relevant to understanding oil market price dynamics.

Cepsa upgrades Spanish LAB plant

Spanish oil and chemical firm Cepsa says its previously announced plan to replace hydrogen fluoride technology for making linear alkyl benzene (LAB) with its Detal catalyst process at a plant in San Roque, Spain, will take place by 2020. LAB is a precursor for the widely used surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate. Costing $110 million to install, the Detal process will cut the plant’s energy bill and boost LAB production capacity by 25% to 250,000 metric tons per year.

Erucic acid, a component of Lorenzo's oil and PPAR-δ ligand modifies C6 glioma growth and toxicity of doxorubicin. Experimental data and a comprehensive literature analysis

BackgroundPPAR-δ is a transcription factor which has crucial roles in stimulating oligodendroglial differentiation and myelination and its activation was also shown to differentiate malignant C6 glioma cells into oligodendrocytes. ObjectiveOne of the ligands of PPAR-δ is erucic acid (EA), an edible omega-9 fatty acid consumed more by Asian populations and exists highly in Chinese womens milk. There exist epidemiological evidence that pediatric brain tumor incidence is among the lowest in the Chinese population. EA is also an ingredient of Lorenzo's oil used against adrenoleukodystrophy, a pediatric demyelinating disease. EA was inappropriately assumed as a strong cardiotoxin based on Spanish oil syndrome, caused by toxic-aniline dye refined rapeseed oil. In this study, we studied whether EA is capable to block growth of C6 glioma cells and modify cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin. Materials and methodsWe studied effects of EA on the 3-dimensional appearance of the adherent cells, soft agar colony formation and S-phase in the 3-dimensional spheroids in C6 glioma cell cultures. We also investigated the effects of EA on hepatic and cardiac toxicity of doxorubicin. ResultsEA decreased in vitro growth of C6 glioma cells at therapeutically achievable concentrations. EA effects were more prominent in 3D-assays (soft agar colonies and spheroids) and induced cell fusions in monolayer cultures. EA decreased S-phase inhibitory potency of doxorubicin (DOX), yet augmented its efficacy to induce a senescent morphology (as assessed by scanning electron microscopy) in monolayer and to increase iNOS and eNOS expression in spheroids. In our study, EA reduced DOX-induced necrosis in mice heart and liver and induced healthier morphology of heart mitochondria (as assessed by transmission electron microscopy); yet intercalated disks (ID) were more disturbed with DOX + EA. ConclusionsBoth the antitumor and cardiac effects of EA may associate with the cell-to-cell contact mechanisms. Combining systemic EA with intrathecal DOX-chemotherapy via Ommaya reservoirs may reduce DOX concentrations in systemic circulation, hinder toxic interactions with EA and induce selective kill of glioma cells.

Cepsa will upgrade surfactants facility

The Spanish oil and chemicals firm Cepsa will spend about $125 million to expand and upgrade its linear alkylbenzene (LAB) plant in San Roque, Spain. The project will boost capacity for the laundry detergent raw material by 25%, to 250,000 metric tons per year. Cepsa will also convert the plant from hydrofluoric acid technology to the Detal process it developed in the 1990s with UOP. Most new LAB plants use the Detal process.

Time variations of gaseous and reactive mercury in the industrial area of Puertollano (south-central Spain). Temporal cycles with marked variations

Puertollano (48,086 inhabitants) is the largest industrial city in the Castilla-La Mancha region (South-Central Spain). The city is located some 250 km South of Madrid; it was an important coal mining site during the last century and today it is the location of one of the most important Spanish oil refineries and the only refinery located away from the coast. Nowadays the area (which mainly includes the Ojailen valley) has a large open pit coal mine (Encasur), two power plants (Eon and Elcogas) and a petrochemical complex (Repsol) located S and SE from the town. These industries give rise to a complex scenario in terms of mercury emissions to the atmosphere: Repsol, Elcogas and Eon act as discrete sources, while coal mine and dumps acts as a general, diffuse source.The mercury contents in Puertollano town and the related industrial area were characterized during 2010 and 2011 by acquiring stationary data of Gaseous Elemental Mercury (GEM), Reactive Gaseous Mercury (RGM), meteorological parameters and other atmospheric contaminants (NO, NO2, SO2, benzene, toluene, xylene, ozone and PM10). In addition, several Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM) mobile surveys were carried out covering the Ojailen valley.Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM) in the whole valley was in the range 0–24 ng m−3 in all surveys, while higher levels were found near to the coal mine and in the vicinity of a coal power plant that employs clean technology (Elcogas).Tekran data showed low GEM levels during 2010–2011 (1.81 ng m−3 on average), while lower GEM levels were measured during autumn and summer, and maximum levels in spring (7.32 ng m−3 on average). RGM measurements were 0.0088 ng m−3, i.e., significantly lower than background levels in the USA and Europe (0.04 ng m−3). Concentrations of these mercury species' were higher during summer (0.0117 ng m−3).Multiple regression analysis was carried out and good relationships between GEM levels, meteorological parameters and other pollutants were identified. The best GEM predictors were temperature, relative humidity and NO2, whereas the best predictors for RGM were GEM, temperature and ozone. RGM variations seem to be explained predominantly by photoxidation processes, with GEM availability and transport processes of secondary importance.

Nutritive value of co-products derived from olivecake in rabbit feeding

<p>Olive cake is one of the main agro-industrial co-products in the Mediterranean area of Spain, with high availability almost all year round. In addition, most of the product is dehydrated, which increases its interest in monogastric species such as rabbits. Nineteen samples from various Spanish oil mills using different processing methods were analysed for their chemical composition and in vitro digestibility. The average composition was [in dry matter (DM) basis]: ash (9.64%), neutral detergent fibre (52.0%), acid detergent fibre (36.8%), acid detergent lignin (19.1%), crude protein (CP) (11.3%), insoluble neutral (8.0%) and acid detergent crude protein (5.15%), ether extract (10.9%) and gross energy (21.9 MJ/kg). DM and CP in vitro digestibility were, on av., 53.4 and 41.4% respectively. High variability was observed among the samples for most of the traits studied. Fibrous fractions were highly correlated among them and negatively with ether extract content, whereas CP was little related to other feed components. A stepwise regression analysis allowed us to determine regression equations to predict DM and CP in vitro digestibilities from chemical composition (R2=0.80 and 0.91, respectively). As regards the current results, olive cake has potential use for rabbits as a source of insoluble fibre and lignin. Crude samples (not oil extracted) combined with sieving to retain the smaller particles have an additional interest, because of their higher energy value and significant supply of high quality fat.</p>

Sticky Fingers. The Investment Structure of the Spanish Oil Business

L’un des principaux sujets de debat dans l’analyse de l’economie romaine porte sur les possibles investissements de l’aristocratie dans le commerce et l’artisanat et sur l’impact eventuels de ces capitaux sur la performance economique. Selon moi, il faut renoncer a se concentrer sur l’argent de l’elite, car les sources disponibles ne permettent pas une analyse serielle de l’origine des investissements commerciaux. Neanmoins, l’epigraphie des amphores a huile hispaniques compense en partie cette difficulte. Tout d’abord, elle permet d’identifier les investissements personnels de membres des elites dans le commerce de l’huile et des strategies pour en augmenter l’efficacite et le rendement, a savoir la creation d’entreprises familiales et l’integration verticale des phases de production et de distribution. En outre, les sources montrent que les deux memes strategies ont ete mises en œuvre par des entrepreneurs qui ne semblent pas avoir appartenu a l’aristocratie. Cependant, etant donne leur capacite a financer ces investissements, il faut en deduire que ces entrepreneurs disposaient de reserves financieres equivalentes ou meme superieures aux fortunes de l’elite. En conclusion, l’attention aux investissements de l’elite dans le commerce romain ne peut fournir de veritables arguments pour traiter de l’echelle des echanges.

Repsol Meets YPF: Displaying Competence in Cross-Border M&A Press Releases

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are often said to be risky business, especially in cross-border M&As, when an acquiring company faces a possible clash of both corporate and national cultures. This article focuses on the acquisition of the Argentine oil company Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales (YPF) by the Spanish oil company Repsol in 1999. In particular, using a corpus of Repsol’s M&A related press releases, the author demonstrates how the acquiring company draws on forward-looking statements, promotional language, and repetition to discursively display its financial and moral competences to negotiate the acquisition. The analysis will also show how, at a certain moment, Repsol introduces an appeasing antitrust narrative to respond to the hurt (nationalistic) feelings in YPF’s Latin American environment.

Stepwise geographical traceability of virgin olive oils by chemical profiles using artificial neural network models

AbstractThe geographical traceability of virgin olive oils implies the use of analytical methods that allow the identification of the origin of the oil and the authentication of the information boasted on the labels. In this work, the geographical identification of the virgin olive oils has been addressed by complete chemical characterisation of samples (64 compounds analysed by GC and HPLC) and the design of artificial neural network (ANN) models for each one of the levels of a proposed classification scheme. A high number of samples (687) from Spain, Italy and Portugal served as training and test sets for the ANN models. The highest classification level, focused on the grouping of samples by country, was achieved through analysis of fatty acids, with 99.9% of samples classified. Other levels (region, province, Protected Designations of Origin or PDO) were focused on Spanish oils and required additional series of compounds (sterols, alcohols, hydrocarbons) as well as the fatty acids to obtain classification rates higher than 90%. The classification of oils into different PDOs – the last and most difficult level of classification – showed the highest root mean square errors. The classification percentages, however, were still higher than 90% in the test set, which proves the application of the traceability methodology for a chemical verification of PDO claims.

Autarchy, Ideology, and Technology Transfer in the Spanish Oil Industry, 1939–1960

International technology transfer and the associated flow of technical knowledge have come to be traditionally regarded as processes developed in invariable—and too frequently liberal—economic systems. But what occurs in the event of strongly planned and ideologized state economies? Even more, to what degree was the technology inflow to the Spanish oil industry during the Franco regime affected by a severe policy of autarchy, and by subsequent liberalizing policies? Historical evidence seems to suggest that this liberalization during the 1950s modified previous transfer modes and rates and even the nature of relations among the actors. Thus in effect, instead of the mere acquisition of “turnkey” technology from foreign sources—the characteristic pattern during the autarchic period—we observe a more complex transfer and greater trend to promote new associations and alliances for contracting with foreign specialists.

Structuring Repsol's Acquisition of Ypf S.A. (A)

In April 1999, the CEO of Repsol S.A., the large Spanish oil company, seeks to design the terms of an unsolicited tender offer to the shareholders of Argentinas largest oil company, YPF. The value to be paid per YPF share has been set. Remaining to be decided are: (a) form of payment, and (b) form of financing, if it is to be a cash deal. The task for the student is to sort through the advantages and disadvantages of three financing alternatives, using a framework such as FRICTO, and to make a recommendation. The objectives of this case are to: (1) illustrate the linkage between acquisition price, form of payment, and acquisition financing; (2) exercise analytical frameworks for comparing financing alternatives; (3) consider the important role of synergy expectations in designing financing. The case was prepared for use in an MBA elective on mergers and acquisitions, though could be easily adapted for teaching concepts of corporate financing.

Competition, regulation, and pricing behaviour in the Spanish retail gasoline market

The restructuring of the Spanish oil industry produced a highly concentrated oligopoly in the retail gasoline market. In June 1990, the Spanish government introduced a system of ceiling price regulation in order to ensure that “liberalization” was accompanied by adequate consumer protection. By 1998, prices were left to the “free” market. This paper examines the pricing behaviour of the retail gasoline market using multivariate error correction models over the period January 1993 (abolishment of the state monopoly)–December 2004. The results suggest that gasoline retail prices respond symmetrically to increases as well as to decreases in the spot price of gasoline both over the period of price regulation (January 1993–September 1998) and over the period of free market (October 1998–December 2004). However, once the ceiling price regulation was abolished, cooperation emerged between the government and the major operators, Repsol-YPF and Cepsa-Elf, to control the inflation rate. This resulted in a slower rate of adjustment of gasoline retail prices when gasoline spot prices went up, as compared with the European pattern. Finally, the Spanish retail margin was by the end of our timing period of analysis, as in the starting years after the abolishment of the state monopoly, above the European average. This pattern confirms our political economic hypothesis, which suggests that the Spanish government and the oil companies were working together in reducing the inflation, in periods of rising oil and gasoline prices. It is also inferred that explaining the pricing pattern in energy markets may require different hypothesis than the classical perspective, involving just firms taking advantage of market power.

Langmuir Films of Bitumen and Its Fractions Extracted from Oil Shales (Puertollano, Spain)

Interfacial properties of bitumen (extracted from Spanish oil shales), asphaltene, and maltene monolayers at the air-water interface are studied by means of the Langmuir technique. The results obtained in this work reveal the formation of aggregation structures of asphaltenes and maltenes at the air-water interface previous to compression. Upon compression, asphaltenes form condensed monolayers while maltenes show an expanded state at low specific areas due to the formation of an overfilm. The presence of maltenes in bitumen hampers the formation of large aggregates of asphaltenes, allowing for the existence of a liquid expanded phase in bitumen films. The maltenes present the highest compressibility of the three compounds favoring the coalescence of the emulsion droplets, while asphaltene films, displaying the lowest compressibility, form rigid films that avoid coalescence. Bitumen, asphaltene, and maltene films are lost when compressed at 20 mN/m initially by rearrangement and/or formation of association structures and later by dissolution into the subphase.

The poison paradox: chemicals as friends and foes

1. Old art, new science: Introduction to toxicology 2. What chemicals do to us and what our bodies do to them: The principles of toxicology 3. Keep taking the medicine, But is it safe Doctor?: chemicals we deliberately swallow 4. Blood, sweat, and tears: Pesticides, poisons man has designed 5. First the cats died: Environmental contaminants 6. Natural born killers: Chemicals nature designs to be poisonous 7. The Mad Hatter and a bad case of acne: Industrial chemicals 8. Under the sink and in the shed: Household poisons 9. Rasputin's revenge: Chemicals used to kill 10. Ginger Jake and Spanish oil: Food contaminants and additives 11. A risky business: The assessment of risk from chemicals Glossary Bibliography Index

Structuring Repsol's Acquisition of Ypf S.A. (A)

In April 1999, the CEO of Repsol S.A., the large Spanish oil company, seeks to design the terms of an unsolicited tender offer to the shareholders of Argentinas largest oil company, YPF. The value to be paid per YPF share has been set. Remaining to be decided are: (a) form of payment, and (b) form of financing, if it is to be a cash deal. The task for the student is to sort through the advantages and disadvantages of three financing alternatives, using a framework such as FRICTO, and to make a recommendation. The objectives of this case are to: (1) illustrate the linkage between acquisition price, form of payment, and acquisition financing; (2) exercise analytical frameworks for comparing financing alternatives; (3) consider the important role of synergy expectations in designing financing. The case was prepared for use in an MBA elective on mergers and acquisitions, though could be easily adapted for teaching concepts of corporate financing.

05/02584 Diesel emissions from biofuels derived from Spanish potential vegetable oils

05/02584 Diesel emissions from biofuels derived from Spanish potential vegetable oils