Resumen del autor, extraído del trabajo. Petroleum based transportation fuels (particularly gasoline and diesel fuel) are expected to undergo significant formulation changes in the next decade. The current focus is on potential elimination of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and moving to very low sulphur levels; but reductions in olefins and aromatics content are also being suggested. Bitumen Upgraders should address these fuel specification challenges, especially if they expect to meet their visions of supplying increasing volumes of refinery feedstock. However, bitumen - the heaviest of liquid petroleums - has a very high content of sulphur and polycyclic hydrocarbons, as well as other undesirable components. Additional severe hydrotreating plus the introduction of aromatic saturation technology, as well as gasoil hydrocracking capacity - for synthetic crudes intended to be consumed in fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) based refineries - will be required to meet this challenge. Removal of the "end cut" of bitumen - for example, via solvent extraction - and its use as a gasifier feed is one possible option to deliver the needed extra hydrogen, while contributing to higher synthetic crude oil qualities. Bitumen Upgraders need to take advantage of any favourable condition, which might help to reduce the impact of the necessary capital investments required, to achieve these product quality improvements. These include integration with either upstream bitumen producers or downstream refineries, use of large economies of scale, lower costs for hydrogen, more options for by-product disposal, and more favourable tax regimes.