In April, Petrobras beat the S-10 low sulfur diesel sales record, reaching the 437,000 bpd mark, a 4.4% increase compared to the previous record of 418,000 bpd, set in March 2021. Also in April, total diesel sales reached 824,000 bpd, representing a growth of 59% when compared to sales in the same month of 2020. In the comparison with April 2019, without the impacts on demand arising from the pandemic, there was a growth of 12%.

Petrobras' increased participation in the diesel market and the growth in S-10 sales generated diesel revenue of $4.6 billion in 1Q21, 24% more than in 4Q20. This increase reflects the company's actions to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on fuel demand and efforts to expand the supply of high value-added derivatives with less impact on the environment.

"This expansion of the S-10 diesel supply is one of the company's projects to offer products with higher added value and less emissions. We are thus seeking better operational performance and more competitiveness in the new refining market," says Cláudio Mastella, the company's Commercialization and Logistics director.

In line with its Strategic Plan, Petrobras is adapting its refining park to expand the production of the S-10 Diesel fuel, which has low sulfur content. Adjustments are planned for the Duque de Caxias Refinery (Reduc), the Paulínia Refinery (Replan), and the Henrique Lage Refinery (Revap), in São José dos Campos. The expectation is to increase S-10 diesel production by up to 16,500 m³/day with the implementation of these additional projects. With this, the S-10 production, which currently represents 50% of Petrobras' total diesel production, will reach practically 100% by 2025. The interventions will increase the quality of the diesel fuel produced, promoting the reduction of the sulfur content (from 500 ppm to only 10 ppm), with the aim of meeting the specifications of the local and international markets, in addition to environmental requirements.

Advantages of the S-10 Diesel Fuel 

The use of the S-10 Diesel allows diesel vehicles to use more modern technologies and promotes the improvement of the fuel's performance in the engines, with positive impacts on the reduction of particulate matter emissions by up to 80%, and of nitrogen oxides by up to 98%. Besides the difference in sulfur content, the S-10 diesel has a higher cetane level, an index that measures the ignition quality, i.e., the higher the better.

The increase in the S-10 Diesel production capacity follows the evolution of the diesel-powered heavy and utility vehicle engines, responsible for most of the circulation of goods in Brazil.