Neste Oil has begun trials of their Neste Green 100 diesel replacement made from palm oil. The field trials will include vehicles of Neste employees as well as private citizens in the Helsinki, Finland area.
Neste Green 100 is not biodiesel, as it is a diesel replacement (hydrocarbon) rather than a fatty methyl ester. Lab tests have shown a 40-80% lifecycle reduction in GHG emissions versus petroleum diesel with lower tailpipe emissions and particulates as well.
The Neste fuel contains NExBTL, made from palm seed oil, and is 100% renewable. This trial batch is specifically designed for the Finnish climate and conditions.
NExBTL is made thorugh the high-pressure hydrogenation of fatty acids and creates byproducts including propane and gasoline. Neste has two 800,000 tonne capacity plants under construction, one in Singapore and the other in Rotterdam. They will go online this year and next respectively.
Source: Future Car
Recommended reading..
KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Reuters) - Neste Oil could buy 2.4 million to 2.5 million tonnes of vegetable oils for four biofuel plants, putting the Finnish refiner on par with consumer goods giant Unilever as a top vegetable oil buyer.
The bulk of Neste Oil's vegetable oil purchases will come from palm oil, currently the cheapest in the world.
Here are some facts about Neste Oil and its growing palm oil use.
- Neste Oil has developed biofuel technology that allows flexible use of any vegetable oil or animal fat for producing its NExBTL fuel. The fuel does not need to be blended with fossil diesel and can be used as it is for the transport sector.
- Palm oil will make up the bulk of the refiner's feedstock. Analysts say this may narrow palm oil's discount to soyoil below $100 a tonne.
- In Finland, Neste Oil has two plants producing NExBTL, which has been marketed as the world's cleanest fuel. The combined capacity of the factories stand at 350,000 tonnes.
- Neste Oil has invested a combined 1.22 billion euros to build one biofuel plant in Singapore and another in Rotterdam that each have a capacity of 800,000 tonnes. The Singapore plant will be completed in 2010 and the Rotterdam factory in 2011.
- The firm is part of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) -- a grouping of planters and consumers who have developed a certification system that includes commitments to preserve wildlife and forests when expanding estates.
- Neste Oil, which has committed to use only certified palm oil by end-2015, will still make its own greenhouse gas assessments on crude palm oil sourced through the RSPO.
-
The Finnish refiner now applies the segregation method to its supply chain system that allows for the mixing of certified green palm oil with those produced by non-RSPO plantations.
- It may go over to mass-balancing its supply chain, which means Neste Oil will administer the mixing of these two type of palm oil available so that they know the conditions and the farming methods of their suppliers.
- Neste Oil dropped to an underlying operating loss in the fourth quarter due to weak margins and said it expected 2010 to be challenging.
Neste Oil laid the foundation stone for its renewable diesel plant in the Port of Rotterdam, Market Wire reports. Upon completion, the plant will be the largest renewable diesel plant in Europe with an annual production capacity of 800,000 mt.
The investment cost of the plant is estimated to be EUR 670 million, and it will create over 100 jobs. "With this plant in the Netherlands, Neste Oil will become the leading renewable diesel producer supplying Europe from the Netherlands. Our investment also signals Neste Oil's commitment to driving forward latest innovation with our NExBTL technology in Europe", said the President and CEO of Neste Oil.
Oil company Preem is planning to increase its production of bio-fuels significantly, Esmerk reports. The Head of Development expects the production of alternative fuels to total about 400,000-500,000 cu m within four-five years, up from current small volumes Swedish venture capital company Acap Invest is planning to sell bio-fuel technology company TPS, a former subsidiary of Talloil acquired by Acap Invest two years ago following Talloil's bankruptcy, Esmerk reports. Acap Invest has not managed to increase turnover of TPS fourfold to SEK 1billion as intended. TPS rebuilds oil- and gas-fuelled heating plants into bio-fuel based plants. (26 May 2009)
