Neste Oil ramping up production of renewable diesel from waste and residues

6 March 2015

Finland’s Neste Oil announced that it has become the world’s largest producer of renewable fuels from waste and residues. In 2014, the company produced nearly 1.3 million tonnes (1.6 billion liters) of renewable NExBTL diesel from waste and residues—more than 50% of the installed production capacity.

The company has been increasing the use of waste materials for several years to minimize the use of palm oil feedstocks that have a dubious sustainability record. “The production of fuels from waste-based feedstock is resource-efficient, and our aim is to have the capability to use 100% waste and residues by 2017. We are constantly searching for new waste-based raw materials of increasingly poorer quality, and use the majority of our EUR 40 million R&D expenditure for raw material research,” said Kaisa Hietala, Executive Vice President of Neste Oil’s Renewable Products business area.

Neste Oil’s waste and residue-based raw materials include animal and fish fats, used cooking oil and various residues generated during vegetable oil refining, such as palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) and technical corn oil. These raw materials accounted for 62% of Neste Oil's renewable inputs in 2014, 52% in 2013, and 35% in 2012.

The balance of Neste Oil’s renewable products output is manufactured from vegetable oils, mainly from crude palm oil. Its proportion of the total feedstock usage by Neste Oil has decreased to 38%, from 62% in 2012 and 47% in 2013. Neste Oil said it is currently able to produce renewable diesel from more than ten different raw materials.

Neste Oil produces renewable products based on its NEXBTL hydrogenation technology in its refineries located in Finland, the Netherlands, and Singapore. With its annual capacity of 2 million tonnes, the company is the world's largest producer of renewable diesel. The company’s goal is to increase annual capacity to 2.6 million tonnes without making any major additional investments. Additionally, Neste Oil intends to expand the NEXBTL product range to cover new applications outside traffic fuels, such as the chemical industry.

Source: Neste Oil