Neste Oil to increase its use of waste in renewable diesel production
Neste Oil is to increase its use of waste as a raw material for producing NExBTL renewable diesel in 2011. Palm oil will continue to be the single largest raw material input, and is expected to account for just under half of the total raw material used in renewable diesel production in 2011. The use of sidestreams generated during palm oil production, such as palm fatty acid distillate, and waste such as animal fat, will increase. Stearin, a by-product of the palm oil production process, is expected to account for over 20% of Neste Oil's renewable input in 2011, and palm fatty acid distillate for 5-10%. Waste animal fat is expected to account for just under 20% of renewable input. Other inputs, such as rapeseed oil, will account for the remainder.
"We are constantly working to extend our raw material base," says Matti Lehmus, Neste Oil's executive vice president for renewable. “When looking at the potential for making use of new raw materials, our primary criteria are whether they are produced sustainably and the impact they have in reducing raw material-related greenhouse gas emissions. The final decision is also shaped by a material's security of supply, its availability, and its price."
Neste Oil produces NExBTL renewable diesel at two plants at its Porvoo refinery in Finland and at a facility in Singapore that was started up in 2010. Following the commissioning of a fourth plant in mid-2011 in Rotterdam, NExBTL renewable diesel production capacity will total around 2 million tpy.
Extending the company's raw material base is one of the main goals of Neste Oil's strategy, and around 80% of annual R&D expenditure goes to research into renewable raw materials. Research work is focused on both completely new types of raw materials, such as microbes, algae, and wood-based biomass, and existing materials, such as jatropha oil, camelina oil, soy oil, oil waste produced by fish processors, and tall oil.
Neste Oil's NExBTL technology can make use of virtually any vegetable oil or animal fat to produce renewable diesel. Produced from the raw materials currently used, NExBTL renewable diesel offers over 50% lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil diesel. This figure covers the product's entire lifecycle, from production to end-use. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions offered by NExBTL renewable diesel can be as high as almost 80% when it is produced from waste animal fat.
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