Neste Oil's New Biodiesel Outperforms All Others

Neste Oil's biodiesel plant in southern Finland imports vegetable oil, processes it to biodiesel with its own hydrogenation process, then exports most of its biodiesel at a profitable price. Neste claims that its new biodiesel outperforms both conventional diesel and other biodiesels.

Neste Oil has launched its 10% biodiesel blend in Finland this month.

15/5/2008

The company introduced its European standard EN-590 diesel as the “world’s first renewable fuel suitable for all diesel engines”. It contains at least 10% biofuel of Neste’s own NExBTL brand. Neste claims EN-590 outperforms both regular diesel as well as other biodiesels on the market.

Neste produces its biodiesel at a 170,000 tonne-per-annum facility located in Porvoo, southern Finland, mainly from imported palm oil, rapeseed oil and animal fats. The company aims for 70% of its biodiesel inputs to be non-food crops within the next 10 years. "In about 2020 we strive to have all the raw materials we use from outside the food chain," said Simo Honkanen, who heads up Neste’s renewable fuels division. That could include both biomass and algae.

Currently most of Neste’s biodiesel is exported and the company is seeing a large demand for its product. A second biodiesel facility is expected to come online in Porvoo next year _RenewableEnergyMag__via_Checkbiotech

Due to higher fuel costs in Europe, profitability of advanced biodiesels such as Neste's may be easier to attain. As prices of fuel in the US rise, profitability for fossil fuel substitutes should improve--particularly as the quality of the product and efficiencies of processes improve.