In June 2020, Petrobras reached a record low diesel production of sulfur (S-10), totaling a production of 1.6 million m3 or 10.3 million barrels.

Started in January 2013, the production of S-10 diesel has been growing in recent years, meeting the greater demand of the national market. This movement follows the evolution of the engines of heavy-duty and utility vehicles powered by diesel, responsible for most of the circulation of goods in the national territory.

Currently, there are two types of road diesel in Brazil: the S-500 diesel and the S-10 diesel. In addition to the difference in sulfur content, the products have specific characteristics, such as the difference in cetane number, an index that measures the quality of ignition, that is, the higher the better. In the S-10 diesel, the index reaches 48, while in the S-500 it is 42.

The current production capacity for S-10 diesel in Petrobras' refining park is 139.4 thousand m3 / day and occurs through hydrotreatment units. These units are of high technology and promote the reduction of the sulfur content and improvement of the product performance with positive impacts in the reduction of contaminants for the environment. Because of this process, the use of S-10 diesel allows a reduction in emissions of sulfur compounds and an improvement in ignition quality.