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.

The approach, known as molecular refining, could offer a more efficient alternative to conventional oil processing. Instead of relying mainly on high-temperature distillation, the method uses advanced membranes to separate oil molecules according to their size and chemical properties.


The breakthrough does not mean traditional refineries can be replaced immediately. However, it suggests that future oil-processing plants could use less energy while producing more valuable materials from the same quantity of crude oil.

Why conventional oil refining consumes so much energy

Crude oil is not a single substance. It is a complex mixture containing hundreds of different hydrocarbons and other chemical compounds. These components vary in size, structure and boiling point.

In a conventional refinery, crude oil is heated to extremely high temperatures. The mixture then enters a distillation column, where different components are separated according to their boiling points. Lighter compounds rise through the column, while heavier materials remain lower down.

This process is effective, but it requires considerable energy. Refineries must heat huge quantities of crude oil, maintain large industrial units and repeat the separation process several times to achieve the desired purity.

The energy demand becomes even greater when the refinery needs to separate closely related molecules. Some hydrocarbons have similar boiling points, making them difficult to isolate through conventional distillation.

The result is a process that consumes large amounts of fuel and electricity. It also produces significant carbon emissions, making refining an important target for energy-saving technologies.

The Chinese research team’s method attempts to solve this problem by separating oil at the molecular level rather than depending entirely on boiling points. The South China Morning Post reported that the technology could significantly reduce the energy normally used in the refining process.

China’s molecular refining method works at an extremely small scale

The new technology uses a system of specially designed membranes. These membranes act like highly selective filters, allowing certain molecules to pass through while holding back others.

The researchers developed a two-stage separation process. The first membrane separates molecules according to their size. Its structure contains extremely small openings that allow some hydrocarbons to move through while restricting larger molecules.

The second stage focuses on chemical characteristics. Rather than relying only on molecular size, the membrane is designed to interact differently with compounds based on their chemical structure and surface properties.

This combination is important because crude oil contains molecules that can be similar in size but different in chemical behaviour. A size-based filter alone may not separate them efficiently. By adding a second layer of chemical selectivity, researchers can achieve a more precise result.

The team reportedly used a metal-organic framework, or MOF, as part of the membrane technology. MOFs are materials with highly ordered structures and extremely small pores. Their design can be adjusted for specific separation tasks, making them useful in areas such as gas purification, water treatment and chemical processing.

The researchers also used a process involving tannic acid to create microscopic changes in the membrane surface. These modifications helped improve the separation of different hydrocarbon groups.

The result is a refining system that works without forcing the entire oil mixture through the same energy-heavy heating cycle used in traditional distillation.

Laboratory tests showed a major reduction in energy use

To test the method, the scientists worked with a simulated light naphtha mixture containing 15 different components. Light naphtha is an important refinery product used in the manufacture of petrol and petrochemicals.

The researchers aimed to separate the mixture into several groups of valuable compounds. These included materials that could be used in fuel production and chemical manufacturing.

The membrane system reportedly recovered around 85 to 90 per cent of the targeted products. More importantly, the researchers found that the process could reduce energy consumption by approximately 91 per cent compared with conventional refining methods.

The energy saving comes mainly from avoiding the need to heat and vaporise the entire mixture. Membrane separation can take place at much lower temperatures, reducing the amount of fuel required to operate the system.

This could have several benefits for the oil industry.

First, lower energy use could reduce operating costs. Refineries spend a large share of their budgets on fuel, electricity and equipment needed to maintain high temperatures. A process that requires less heat could make certain refining operations more economical.

Second, reduced energy demand could lower emissions. Burning less fuel means producing less carbon dioxide, although the overall environmental benefit would depend on how the technology is powered and integrated into a refinery.

Third, improved separation could allow refineries to obtain more high-value products from crude oil. Instead of treating much of the mixture as a low-value stream, the technology may help recover specific chemical components more efficiently.

The findings were reported by the South China Morning Post, which described the method as a potential step towards more energy-efficient oil refining.

Can the technology move from the laboratory to a working refinery?

Despite the promising results, the technology is still at the research stage. A successful laboratory demonstration does not automatically guarantee that the same performance can be achieved inside a large commercial refinery.

One major challenge is the complexity of real crude oil. The laboratory mixture used in the tests was carefully prepared, while crude oil from different regions can contain thousands of compounds, including sulphur, metals, resins and other impurities.

These substances could damage or block the membranes. For the technology to work on an industrial scale, the membranes would need to remain stable under continuous operation and tolerate harsh refinery conditions.

Another challenge is production cost. Advanced membranes and MOF materials can be expensive to manufacture. Researchers would need to show that the energy savings and increased product recovery outweigh the cost of building, maintaining and replacing the equipment.

The technology may also be more suitable for certain refining stages than for replacing the entire distillation process. Refineries could initially use molecular separation alongside existing systems, particularly where it can recover valuable chemicals or reduce the workload of energy-intensive units.

Scaling up the process will require longer tests, larger membrane modules and trials using real crude oil. Engineers will also need to examine how the system performs over months or years rather than during short laboratory experiments.

Even with these limitations, the research is significant because it targets one of the central problems in oil processing: how to separate complex mixtures while using less energy.

The development also reflects a wider shift in chemical engineering. Researchers are increasingly exploring membranes, catalysts and advanced materials to replace industrial processes that depend heavily on heat and pressure.

If the Chinese team can successfully move from controlled laboratory conditions to commercial operation, molecular refining could become an important tool for modern refineries. It may help producers reduce energy consumption, lower emissions and make better use of every barrel of crude oil.

For now, the 91 per cent figure should be viewed as a laboratory result rather than a guaranteed saving for every refinery. Still, it offers a clear indication of what may be possible when oil separation is redesigned around molecular science instead of traditional boiling-based methods.

Frequently asked questions

1. What is China’s new oil refining technology?

It is a molecular refining method that uses advanced membranes to separate hydrocarbons according to their size and chemical properties. The approach is designed to reduce the need for high-temperature distillation.

2. How much energy could the new method save?

Laboratory tests reportedly showed that the technology could reduce energy consumption by up to 91 per cent compared with conventional refining for the tested mixture.

3. Can the technology be used in refineries immediately?

Not yet. The method requires further testing with real crude oil, larger equipment and longer operating periods before it can be considered ready for widespread commercial use.

4. Why is lower-energy oil refining important?

Oil refining requires large amounts of heat and electricity. Reducing energy use could lower operating costs, cut emissions and help refineries recover more valuable products from crude oil.