Chinese scientists develop oil refining method that could cut energy use by 91%

The method separates petroleum at the molecular level using special membranes, potentially replacing much of the repeated heating required in conventional refining.

Crude oil must first be separated into different components before it can be processed into products such as gasoline and plastics. Traditionally, this is done through distillation, which repeatedly heats the mixture so different components vaporize and condense according to their boiling points.

The new membranes instead work like extremely fine sieves, sorting petroleum molecules according to their size and chemical properties. This allows different compounds to be directed toward products such as gasoline and plastics while requiring far less heating.

Researchers tested the method on a simulated light naphtha mixture containing 15 components.

It separated the mixture into three groups of higher-value products with recovery rates of 85% to 90%. The researchers estimated that the process could use about 91% less energy than conventional distillation, the South China Morning Post reported.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics and other institutions, was published in August in the peer-reviewed journal National Science Review.

An offshore oil platform. Photo from Pexels

The development comes as China, the world's largest crude oil importer, has relied on its vast stockpiles to cushion supply disruptions caused by the Iran war.

Chinese refineries processed 13.91 million barrels of crude per day in August, the highest level since March, according to official data cited by Reuters.

China held an estimated 1.49 billion barrels of strategic oil inventories in the second quarter of 2026, the largest among countries assessed by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Its crude oil imports fell 32% from the previous quarter to 8.1 million barrels per day during the period as disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz pushed up prices, according to the agency.