Fossil fuels—coal, oil and gas—supply most of the world’s energy and also form the basis of many products essential for everyday life. Their use is the largest contributor to the carbon dioxide emissions that drive global climate change, prompting joint efforts to find renewable alternatives that might enable a carbon-neutral society by as early as 2050. There are clear paths for renewable electricity to replace fossil-fuel-based energy, but the transport fuels and chemicals produced in oil refineries will still be needed. We can attempt to close the carbon cycle associated with their use by electrifying refinery processes and by changing the raw materials that go into a refinery from fossils fuels to carbon dioxide for making hydrocarbon fuels and to agricultural and municipal waste for making chemicals and polymers. We argue that, with sufficient long-term commitment and support, the science and technology for such a completely fossil-free refinery, delivering the products required after 2050 (less fuels, more chemicals), could be developed. This future refinery will require substantially larger areas and greater mineral resources than is the case at present and critically depends on the capacity to generate large amounts of renewable energy for hydrogen production and carbon dioxide capture.

化石燃料（煤炭、石油和天然气）提供了世界上大部分能源，也是许多日常生活必需产品的基础。它们的使用是导致全球气候变化的二氧化碳排放的最大来源，促使人们共同努力寻找可再生替代品，以便最早在 2050 年实现碳中和社会。可再生电力取代化石燃料有明确的路径能源，但仍需要炼油厂生产的运输燃料和化学品。我们可以尝试通过使炼油厂过程电气化以及将进入炼油厂的原材料从化石燃料改为用于制造碳氢化合物燃料的二氧化碳以及用于制造化学品和聚合物的农业和城市废物来关闭与它们的使用相关的碳循环。我们认为，只要有足够的长期承诺和支持，这样一个完全无化石炼油厂的科学和技术就可以得到开发，提供 2050 年后所需的产品（更少的燃料，更多的化学品）。与目前相比，未来的炼油厂将需要更大的面积和更多的矿产资源，并且关键取决于产生大量可再生能源用于氢气生产和二氧化碳捕获的能力。